The exhibition East Meets West: The Maritime Silk Routes in the 13th to 17th Centuries was curated by the Guangdong Museum under the commission of the National Cultural Heritage Administration and toured the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg, Germany, and National Museum of the Palazzo Venezia in Rome, Italy, in 2017, where it received wide acclaim. In 2018, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum introduced and re-curated the exhibition, adding new exhibits and presenting it under the title East Meets West: The Maritime Silk Routes in the 13th to 18th Centuries.

Hosted by the Hong Kong Maritime Museum and co-organized by the Guangdong Museum, with the support of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Home Affairs Bureau of Hong Kong, and sponsored by the Swire Charitable Trust, the exhibition was a major summer highlight. It focused on the 13th to 18th centuries, from the Southern Song to the early Qing dynasties, showcasing the development of the Maritime Silk Road in China, especially along the South China Sea coast, and its role and contribution to the process of globalization, from various aspects such as trade, religious development, cultural exchange, ancient historical sites, and underwater archaeology. The exhibition opened on August 13, 2018, with 155 guests attending the ceremony. During its run (August 14 to November 11, 2018), it attracted 28,147 visitors and widespread attention. The Hong Kong Maritime Museum also hosted a series of educational programs, including family workshops, lectures, and forums.The exhibition also received extensive media coverage, with 109 reports (98 in Chinese, 8 in English, and 3 bilingual), drawing the attention of both Chinese and Western audiences.