Traveling with a House on Your Back: The World of Mollusks

Submarines, giant clams, grilled oysters, Shijue Ming (Haliotidis Concha), Paul the Octopus, giant squids, snails and slugs… What secret ties connect these seemingly unrelated things?

And why do so many Chinese characters related to money—such as 货 (goods), 赎 (redeem), 贷 (lend), 财 (wealth), 贵 (precious)—all contain the “shell” (贝) radical?

Masters of natural architecture, mollusks build sturdy, colorful and beautifully shaped shell dwellings—yet their scientific name classifies them as “soft-bodied animals”. Why?

Traveling with a House on Your Back: The World of Mollusks brings together over a thousand mollusk specimens and related artifacts from the museum’s collections to answer these questions one by one.

Hosted by: Guangdong Museum

Date: May 1, 2017 to August 27, 2017

Venue: No. 1 Exhibition Hall, 3rd Floor

Visitor Information

Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 09:00–17:00 (last entry/ticket issuance at 16:00). Closed on Mondays (except public holidays and special arrangements).

Booking: Follow “Guangdong Museum” on WeChat → “Visitor Services” → “Ticket Booking”.

Enquiries: Tel. 020-38046886; Fax 020-38046880; Guided tour booking: 020-38046888 (enquiry hours 09:00–17:00; fax service: 24 hours).

Transportation: Bus 886/886A/293 to Xiancun Road South Stop; Bus 40/407 to Guangzhou Opera House West Gate Stop; Metro Line 3 (Zhujiang New Town Station, Exit B1), Line 5 (Liede Station, Exit D), or APM Line (Guangzhou Opera House Station, Exit B).

Reservation：

Highlights of the exhibition:

Turbo marmoratus	Harpago chiragra
Malleus malleus	Spondylus wrightianus
Laevidentalium longitrorsum	Entemnotrochus rumphii