A visit to the historic Yongqingfang quarter in Guangzhou is already a journey into the past. But to complete the picture, you should step into the Liwan Museum, which serves as the key to understanding the entire district. Housed within several restored traditional buildings, it doesn`t just display exhibits; it immerses you in bygone eras.
Exposition 1: Home of a Wealthy Canton Merchant (Xiguan Dawu)
The Liwan museum`s first building is a reconstruction of a prosperous family`s residence from the Xiguan district. Stepping inside, you don`t enter an exhibition hall, but someone`s home. The typical layout and furnishings have been recreated, offering an understanding of the inhabitants` lifestyle, aesthetics, and social status.
Architecture and Interiors: You will see the characteristic inner courtyard (patio), which provided light and ventilation. Notice the "mǎnyú" – intricately carved blackwood window grilles that were a hallmark of wealthy Xiguan homes. Their complex geometric patterns are not only beautiful but also functional, ensuring privacy while allowing air to flow.
Furnishings: The rooms are furnished with authentic period pieces: beds with carved wooden screens, tea tables, clothing storage chests, mirrors, and writing implements.
Notable Details: Here you can find incense burners, a collection of delicate porcelain vessels for incense or tea, and fine silk garments showcasing the fashion of the time. The most valuable exhibit is the house itself - its layout and architectural details tell more about life here than any single object.
Exposition 2: Canton — A Global Trading Port
The second house is dedicated to Guangzhou`s (then Canton`s) history as a global trading hub. It offers a detailed narrative of how the city lived and breathed in the 19th century.
The exhibition is divided into several key sections:
The Port and the "Canton System": Maps, engravings, and ship models show how the port was organized. Dioramas or large archival photographs illustrate the famous waterfront with the Thirteen Factories - the district where foreign merchants lived and worked. The display explains the strict trade rules governed by the "co-hong" merchant guild.
Goods That Changed the World: The exhibition`s core focuses on what Canton traded.
Tea: Various tea types, packaging (e.g., original tea chests with stamps), and tools for harvesting and processing are displayed.
• Silk: You can see samples of luxurious fabrics, silk-weaving tools, and models of silkworms and cocoons.
• Porcelain: Elegant examples of blue-and-white porcelain and items created for export based on Western designs (so-called "Chinese export porcelain") are exhibited.
• Cultural Exchange: This section is dedicated to the mutual influence between China and the West. Here you might find European clocks brought to Canton, or Chinese fans and wallpaper that became fashionable in European salons. Often, historical photographs and lithographs of city views are presented.
• Daily Life of the City`s Residents: Exhibits show how ordinary people lived: period coins, shop signage, household items, and artisans` tools.
Most Interesting Exhibits of the Liwan museum:
• An original trade contract ("hòupiào") between a Chinese merchant and a foreign company, complete with seals and signatures.
• A large interactive map of the Canton waterfront with the factories, allowing you to visualize the scale of the trading quarter.
• An authentic wooden signboard from one of the famous Canton trading companies (hongs).
• A collection of weights and scales used for weighing silver and goods.
• Rare early photographs by Western photographers in China, capturing Canton`s streets and residents from the mid-19th century.
If Yongqingfang provides the "stage set" of old Canton, the Liwan museum tells the story—who lived here, how they prospered, who they traded with, and what their daily lives were like. Exploring the two houses in sequence—from the private space of a home to global trade connections—offers a holistic and incredibly rich understanding of why Guangzhou became the city it is today.
