The special exhibition "Guangzhou Through the Millennia: A Special Exhibition Marking 2,240 Years Since the City's Founding and 1,800 Years of Its Name" gained immediate popularity upon its opening. More than 410 individual artifacts and sets outline Guangzhou's evolutionary trajectory from an ancient Qin and Han settlement to a modern metropolis. Among them, Guangzhou export pith paper paintings—celebrated as "Oriental Postcards"—are particularly eye-catching. Produced in large quantities for overseas export in the past, they did not return to their homeland until over two decades ago.

During his lecture titled "Internationalized Guangzhou Pith Paper Paintings" on the morning of August 29th at the Guangzhou Museum of Art (GMA), Cheng Cunjie, director of the Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen's Mansion, urged Guangzhou to take proactive steps toward nominating Guangzhou's export pith paper paintings, Western pith paper paintings influenced by them, and other pith paper crafts for the UNESCO Memory of the World Register to better protect this precious heritage.

Cheng highlighted that pith paper paintings served as a vital medium for the West to understand Chinese society during a specific historical period and stood as a product of mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, deeply resonating with people across both East and West. He noted that the artworks encompass subjects satisfying Western curiosity about Chinese production techniques, judicial trials, festive customs, and scenes of daily life—such as dragon boat race scenes. Additionally, some pith paper paintings depict the daily customs of South American residents, featuring delicate techniques, vivid colors, and lifelike character modeling.

He emphasized that with their unique material, realistic content, and artistic techniques blending Eastern and Western styles, these pith paper paintings represent a rare collection of art whose historical, social, and artistic values all hold global significance.

漂洋过海的“东方手信”：大元帅府馆长程存洁解读通草画申遗

“城脉千年——广州建城2240年得名1800年”专题展开幕便火爆出圈，410余件（套）藏品勾勒出广州从秦汉古邑到现代都会的演进轨迹。其中，素有“东方手信”美誉的广州外销通草画引人注目：它们曾大量销往海外，直到20多年前才回流故里。

“广州应积极行动起来，将广州外销通草画及受其影响的西方绘制的通草画、以通草为材质的其他工艺品申报《世界记忆名录》，以便更好地保护这份珍贵遗产。”8月29日上午，孙中山大元帅府纪念馆馆长程存洁带来的《国际化的广州通草画》讲座在广州艺术博物院（广州美术馆）开讲。

“通草画是特定历史时期西方了解中国社会的一个重要媒介，也是东西方文明交流互鉴的产物，曾触动无数东西方民众的情感世界。”程老师特别指出，画作既有满足西方人对中国生产工艺、司法审判、节庆习俗及市井生活好奇的题材，例如赛龙舟场景；也有描绘南美洲居民生活习俗的通草画，其画法细腻、色彩艳丽，人物造型栩栩如生。

“这种绘画作品材质独特，内容写实，艺术手法融汇中西，是一批稀有的绘画艺术作品，其历史价值、社会价值与艺术价值，均具有世界意义。”程老师强调道。

文、图｜郑与时
翻译｜徐芷晴
审校｜曾敏