Researchers in deep dive to study Ming-era wrecks
Sunken ships offer clues about Chinese voyagers’ role in the development of Maritime Silk Road
China has started surveying and mapping two sunken centuries-old merchant ships it recently discovered in the contested South China Sea.
The research is part of a yearlong mission to scientifically assess how to preserve and protect the two shipwrecks of “worldclass archaeological importance”, the National Cultural Heritage Administration said, announcing the finds yesterday.
The shipwrecks, both spotted by marine researchers in October, offered historic evidence of the role of the country’s voyagers in the development of the South China Sea, administration officials said in the southern coastal city of Sanya.
They would also provide important clues to the maritime section of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route connecting to other Asian countries and beyond, the officials were quoted as saying by state-run China News Service.
The ships, which date back to the late 15th and early 16th century when the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) ruled, were discovered by marine researchers about 1,500 metres below the surface in the northwestern area of the South China Sea. Both were heavily laden with cargo.
An estimated 100,000 items, mainly porcelain, were found in the first ship. The second, a bit older than the first, was filled with timber believed to have been on its way into China, administration officials said.
Both vessels were relatively well preserved, and archaeologists were quite certain about the era they belonged to.
“This important discovery has proved historic facts about how Chinese people developed and used the South China Sea and travelled there. It’s a breakthrough for the study of China’s history in marine development, porcelain, global trade and the Maritime Silk Road,” the officials said.
The finding also showed that China was “approaching the world’s most advanced level” in deep-sea archaeology, as it integrated it with deep-sea diving.
According to the year-long action plan revealed by the administration, manned deepdive submersibles will be sent to identify the area of the shipwrecks, and excavate representative relics and sea-floor soil samples.
The first phase of the expeditions, which began on Saturday, will last until next month. The second and third phases will take place from August to September, and March to April next year.
The two shipwrecks are the latest South China Sea discovery by archaeologists, following three ancient merchant ships that were located in August.
The finding of the three ships 2,500 metres below sea level was regarded as a milestone for China, as its previous underwater research expeditions had only reached depths of up to 1,000 metres.
Underwater surveys in nearby oceans represent one of China’s major archaeological tasks under its 14th five-year plan through to 2025, as part of its efforts to trace the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
The discovery of sunken ships of Chinese origin is expected to strengthen the nation’s status as a maritime power and make its territorial claims to disputed islands more persuasive.
Beijing’s claims to nearly all of the resource-rich South China Sea – under what it calls its historical nine-dash line – are contested by the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, among others.