Recommended by CIN, Quanzhou Maritime Museum was awarded the title of 2014 National Excellent Science Education Base by the General Office of China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), which evaluated 363 bases recommended by 53 organizations, and released the evaluation result of 75 excellent bases on February 10, 2015. In addition, China Maritime Museum at Shanghai, as one of 34 CIN navigation science education bases, has also won the title upon the recommendation of Shanghai Association for Science and Technology.
Quanzhou Maritime Museum, established in 1959, is a first-class national museum. It collects articles concerning Chinese ancient overseas transportation and maritime silk road, and explores themes in economic and cultural communications due to maritime transport. It centers on the largest oriental harbor in the Middle Ages, Zaitum, known as Quanzhou today, making use of a rich array of artifacts to display Chinese glorious history of marine culture, Chinese people’s heroic adventures on the sea, China’s major contribution to the world by carving the maritime silk road, and many great inventions with regard to navigation and ship building.
The museum has been making great efforts in promoting the understanding of Chinese ancient overseas transportation among the public since it was listed as a CIN Navigation Science Education Base and recommended as a CAST National Science Education Base. In 2014, it received 453, 000 visitors all year round and actively participated in many socially useful activities hosted by CAST, including National Science Education Day and CIN Summer Camp, making it an influential navigation science education base in China.