An exhibition of great maritime expeditions

If you ask who the greatest navigator of the 18th century was, James Cook is a name not to be overlooked. This British Royal Navy officer made three epic voyages across the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779, filling in the outlines of the vast "blank spaces" on European maps of that time.

On Tuesday, Voyage to the Great Ocean: Captain Cook's Circumnavigation opened at the China Maritime Museum in Shanghai. Showcasing Cook's three global voyages, this special exhibition uses 18th-century navigational artifacts, surveying instruments and specimens to take visitors on a journey through his world-changing expeditions.

The exhibition is divided into four sections: the mysterious tropical voyage, in search of the Terra Australis, seeking the Northwest Passage, and the so-called discovery. Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives — including navigation, anthropology, history, geography, and natural history — and presenting a wealth of illustrated historical materials and reconstructed nautical scenes, the displays re-create the alternative "encounters" between Cook's fleet and the Pacific islands. These were not purely one-sided scientific explorations; they also led to profound transformations in the social structures and ecosystems of the indigenous peoples.

One of the exhibition's highlights is its selection of highly representative Western navigational artifacts and animal specimens. Among the items on display for the first time are a British portable sundial, a European navigational protractor, and a European brass nighttime teller, each from the 18th century; a silver tea set from the 18th-19th centuries; and a wallaby specimen and a koala specimen. The diverse combination of technological, cultural and biological exhibits offers visitors a vivid sense of the rich connotations of maritime navigation.

In addition, the exhibition places a strong emphasis on immersive and interactive visitor experiences. With multiple reconstructions of the nautical environment of the time, supplemented by detailed illustrations and texts, it guides visitors to appreciate 18th-century world navigation and take in the tropical coastal scenery of Tahiti, one of the places Cook's fleet visited, and the unique ecological landscapes of Australia, while also evoking the millennia-old navigational culture of Polynesia.

The exhibition hall features several interactive multimedia installations: a "conquering scurvy" mini-game allows visitors to grasp the challenges that seafaring had to overcome, and the "Australian bird world" display. It also showcases the achievements of contemporary zoologists, provides popular-science knowledge about the birds of Oceania, and enhances accessibility through engaging interactions.

The exhibition will run until Feb 22, 2027.