A race against time

Kuang says he holds two primary hopes for these paintings. First, a museum in Guangdong will acquire them as a complete set. Second, he envisions the paintings as prototypes for AI-driven digital reconstructions.

"To build a digital museum, you need models. AI could help reconstruct scenes of the Thirteen Hongs and coastal defenses — that would be invaluable," he says.

Underlying both is a deep-seated urgency. Time has not been kind to China trade paintings; many suffer from aging materials and environmental damage.

Kuang hopes China can accelerate restoration capacity with more funding, trained conservators and international collaboration, so these works survive to be studied.

"What happens after we're gone?" he asks.

"They will go back into the market, auctioned again and again. If the buyer doesn't understand, they might treat a masterpiece as a minor imitation — that would be tragic."

For now, Kuang is holding "drifting history" in place, hoping the paintings finally find a stable home beyond the market.