Speech of the Minister of Transport at the opening of
the exhibition
“The Qin-Han
Dynasties of China and Roman Cyprus:
Aspects of
Life of Two Distant Worlds”
I am very pleased to be here tonight at the Archaeological Museum of the
Lemesos District, for the opening of an exhibition that could definitely be
described as a significant archaeological event.
The periodical exhibition titled “The Qin-Han Dynasties of China and
Roman Cyprus: Aspects of Life of Two Distant Worlds” is an original exhibition
for Cyprus, as it is the first time that an exhibition with antiquities from a
distant country like China is being organised on the island by the Department of
Antiquities.
Nowadays, however, there is no area in the world that can be
considered “far away”. The
organisation of the exhibition came about as part of the bilateral Agreement
that was signed between Cyprus and China in 2013 on several matters including
the illegal trafficking of cultural objects.
As can be seen from the excavation finds in Nicosia and Pafos, Chinese
porcelain was imported to Cyprus during the medieval period through the
significant trade network known as the “Silk Road”. Cyprus may have been one of
the first places in Europe to receive imports of porcelain which, according to
researchers, was invented during the Han dynasty which is presented in this
exhibition.
It is widely acknowledged that museums and antiquities can create
favourable circumstances for the development of dialogue and the promotion of
bonds of friendship, as they offer us the opportunity to get to know our
cultural environment and to understand each other. Cyprus and China have a
longstanding friendship. The existing cooperation between our two countries in
the fields of technology and economy is expanding today in the fields of culture
and archaeology.
Limassol is an ideal place for the organisation of such an exhibition, as
it is located in the centre of the south coastline of Cyprus, at the hub of
ancient trade routes that connected the East with the West. This brings to mind
the role that the island has played throughout the centuries and also the fact
that since antiquity Cyprus has been the receptacle of cultural influences from
many countries and cultures.
I would like to conclude by congratulating the Department of
Antiquities and especially the staff of the Archaeological Museum of the Lemesos
District for their hard work in organising the exhibition. I would also like to
thank the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China, Art Exhibitions China, the Museum of Henan Province and finally the
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nicosia, for the excellent
collaboration.
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