East China shipwreck excavation offers Maritime Silk Road glimpse

FUZHOU -- Chinese archaeologists have uncovered submerged porcelain that can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368) from the excavation of an ancient merchant vessel off the coast of eastern China's Fujian province.

The excavation that started in early September was jointly carried out by the National Center for Archaeology under the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Fujian provincial archaeology institute.

In 2014, 2016 and 2021, authorities conducted underwater archaeological fieldwork on the shipwreck site, which sits at the intersection of the southern and eastern routes of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, a marine trade passageway connecting Asia, Europe and Africa.

As the porcelain was destined for overseas markets, the underwater exploration and excavation of the porcelain-laden ship is crucial to studies of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, helping explain how such products were transported at home ahead of their overseas journey, said archaeologists.

The Longquan celadon wares discovered amid the ongoing excavation were also found in relics scattered in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, offering a glimpse of the vibrant marine trade at that time, said Liu Miao, an associate professor with the College of Humanities at Xiamen University.