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Jia Bin: How Does the Ancient Shipwreck of the "Maritime Silk Road" Tell the Story of China's International Exchanges?
Fu Yuqun, China News Service
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Jia Bin: How Does the Ancient Shipwreck of the "Maritime Silk Road" Tell the Story of China's International Exchanges?

--Interview with Jia Bin, Deputy Director and Associate Research Fellow of the Department of Artefact and Archaeological Research, Hainan Museum

Deep-sea archaeology has broken through 2,000 meters, and the integral salvage of the Yangtze River Estuary 2 was successfully implemented in 2022, placing China's underwater archaeology in the spotlight. What historical "codes" are hidden in the ancient shipwrecks underwater? How do they reflect the development of exchange and mutual appreciation between Chinese and foreign civilisations? Jia Bin, Deputy Director and Associate Research Fellow of the Department of Artefact and Archaeological Research, Hainan Museum, was recently interviewed by East Meets West of the China News Service, and gave his answers using the case of the Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck, China's first large-scale underwater archaeological excavation.

 

CNS: What kind of ship is Huaguang Reef 1?

Jia Bin: The Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck is the first wooden shipwreck of the Southern Song Dynasty discovered and successfully salvaged in China's distant seas, and it is also the first ancient wooden ship to be salvaged in China's distant seas through disintegration salvage.

The shipwreck was named after Huaguang Reef 1, which was discovered in 1996 in the waters of Huaguang Reef in Xisha, China, and after two underwater archaeological excavations in 1998-1999 and 2007-2008, 11 compartments were found, which were 20 metres long and 6 metres wide. The surviving compartments contained a large quantity of cargo, which was porcelain from different kilns in Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi during the Southern Song period. The porcelain was all produced by folk kilns and was mostly used for foreign trade. Comparing the wares from merchant ships with porcelain from Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and the Philippines, has revealed a high degree of similarity between them. Therefore, it can be deduced that the Huaguang Reef 1 was an ocean-going merchant ship that loaded cargo from Chinese ports, passed through the Maritime Silk Road, and eventually transported goods to Southeast Asian countries.

The archaeological excavation platform at the Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck site. Credit: Hainan Museum
 

CNS: Some scholars believe that a sunken ship is a period of hidden history; a shipwreck discovered is a history unsealed. "What historical stories are hidden in Huaguang Reef 1?

Jia Bin: The shipwreck of Huaguang Reef 1 is one of the important remains of China's overseas trade during the Southern Song Dynasty, and its hull and cargo contain a wealth of information on artefacts and historical stories.

Firstly, from the shipwreck itself, Huaguang Reef 1 is the result of the wisdom of ancient Chinese shipbuilding techniques. Huaguang Reef 1 is a junk of the Southern Song Dynasty and a single-keel, pointed-bottom ship, the shape of which is conducive to long sea voyages. At the same time, the watertight compartment found on the shipwreck is a great invention of ancient China, indicating that this technology was already very mature on Chinese ocean-going merchant ships at that time. Ships equipped with such devices, combined with the unique junk design, added safety to ocean voyages and allowed more cargo to be carried. The discovery of the shipwreck is another testament to the fact that ancient Chinese shipbuilding techniques were second to none in the world.

Secondly, the cargo of Huaguang Reef 1 was mainly porcelain, as well as ironware and pottery. According to the type of ware, there were bowls, plates, dishes, cases, jugs, cups, jars, pots, urns, etc., mainly produced in the kilns of Fujian, Jiangxi, and other places. The convergence of such a large number of wares of different origins on a single merchant vessel recalls a time when Chinese porcelain production and overseas trade flourished.

Full view of the hull compartment of Huaguang Reef 1 excavated in 2007. Credit: Hainan Museum

The type of goods carried on Huaguang Reef 1 is a microcosm of the overseas trade of the Song Dynasty, with exported ceramics being the most prominent. As Huaguang Reef 1 was a shipwreck of the early Southern Song Dynasty, the cargo was mainly 'exported', with the artisans of each kiln producing porcelain according to their own understanding. However, in the mid to late Ming Dynasty, when Nan'ao 1 shipwreck was built, a large number of exotic porcelain wares appeared, and overseas trade changed from pure export to "bespoke" export, which was the inevitable result of mutual exchange between different cultures and civilisations.

Huaguang Reef 1, together with similar artefacts found in shipwrecks and other archaeological sites at home and abroad, constituted the production, trade, and consumption network of the Maritime Silk Road. It is a microcosm of China's foreign trade and the exchange between Chinese and foreign civilisations at the time, and a valuable source for exploring China's overseas trade and maritime trade routes in the South China Sea, which is a milestone in the history of Chinese shipwreck excavations.

The underwater mapping site of Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck archaeological excavation site. Credit: Hainan Museum

 

CNS: What is the progress of conservation and restoration of the hull and artefacts of Huaguang Reef 1 so far?

Jia Bin: The artefacts of Huaguang Reef 1 mainly include the hull itself and shipboard artefacts. The protection and restoration laboratory of artefacts from underwater at Hainan Museum undertakes the protection project of the artefacts of Huaguang Reef 1.

The protection and restoration work of the decks started after the shipwreck was salvaged. The archaeological team numbered and recorded each of the dismantled decks and then salvaged them separately, which then needed to be desalted, desulphurised, and dried before being restored. At present, the Hainan Museum and Wuhan University of Technology have worked together to design a restoration plan for the shipwreck, which may soon be shown in front of everyone.

Because the ship's porcelain was scattered on the sediment layer of sea sand and coral debris, some glazes of porcelain from underwater flaked off, the surface was rough, and some objects were broken, which needed to be desalted. Before the exhibition, the porcelain will also go through the basic reinforcement and restoration process such as bonding, patching, reinforcing, and colouring. Nearly 10,000 artefacts have been restored and are on display at Hainan Museum and China (Hainan) South China Sea Museum respectively.

The excavation and conservation of shipwreck artefacts are interlinked. Through scientific conservation and restoration techniques, the hull and artefacts of the shipwreck can be properly preserved and restored, allowing a wider audience to experience the shipwreck in its original form and gain an intuitive understanding of the vast amount of heritage information it contains, thus better appreciating the impressive Chinese civilisation.

The underwater accumulation at Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck site. Credit: Hainan Museum

 

CNS: At present, more than a hundred shipwreck sites have been archaeologically confirmed in the South China Sea waters, mainly Chinese ancient shipwrecks, with few ancient foreign shipwrecks; what does this indicate?

Jia Bin: At present, more than one hundred shipwrecks have been discovered in the South China Sea. Among them, more than 200,000 pieces of Southern Song export porcelain were excavated at the Nanhai 1 shipwreck, as well as a large number of artefacts with strong Arabian characteristics; Nan'ao 1 is a Ming Dynasty shipwreck, with a large number of exquisite blue and white porcelain; from the shipwreck Huaguang Reef 1 also came a large number of porcelain wares from different kilns such as Dehua kiln of Fujian, Yi kiln of Minqing, and Jingdezhen of Jiangxi. The discovery of these artefacts is strong proof of the existence of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, as well as a strong manifestation of China's traditional cultural exchange with the outside world and the inclusion of foreign cultures.

Not many foreign shipwrecks have been found on the seabed of the South China Sea, while there are many ancient Chinese shipwrecks, proving that China was the first country to operate and develop the South China Sea. The historical information contained in the hull of Huaguang Reef 1 shows that the Maritime Silk Road was a path of cultural diffusion, starting with China. The ancient shipwreck site of Huaguang Reef 1 records the history of friendly relations between ancient China and its neighbouring countries, showing that the Chinese were the first to pioneer "global economic integration" and promote the development of world civilisation.

We have found many ancient Islamic burial sites in Sanya and Lingshui in Hainan, the owners of which were Islamic merchants who came to China to trade on merchant ships and stayed and rested in Hainan. This is an example of how Chinese and Islamic civilisations have contributed to each other, intermingled and developed together.

Artefacts from the excavation of the Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck site in 2007. Credit: Hainan Museum

 

CNS: From the current underwater archaeology of the South China Sea, what are the differences between the development of ancient Chinese maritime civilisation and Western maritime civilisation?

Jia Bin: From historical documents, China operated and developed the South China Sea islands and the South China Sea routes from the Han Dynasty until the Qing Dynasty. Some of the porcelain unearthed and excavated in Southeast Asia is mainly from China's Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and Guangdong, and has a distinctly Chinese style. In addition, we have found some architectural stone elements in existing ancestral halls and temples in China and Southeast Asia, which are of the same origin as those found in the Money Island 1 and Pattle Island 1 shipwrecks. These artefacts from the South China Sea are an interpretation of the ancient Chinese maritime civilisation, as they indicate the flourishing trade and cultural intermingling of the time.

The conservation of the deck from the Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck site. Credit: Hainan Museum

The concept of "all for the common good" and "great unity" is the ancient Chinese view of life and the development of the ancient Chinese maritime civilisation, which is the interpretation of "promoting the building of a community of common Destiny". On the other hand, the West began its history of colonisation and plundering in the Age of Discovery, a completely different path.

The rise and prosperity of maritime trade brought about cultural exchanges between different countries and peoples, allowing different cultures to learn from each other and to mingle. This cultural intermingling brought about by trade in ancient China is a good reference for the world today on how to follow the path of peaceful development.

Nowadays, academic conferences, joint heritage conservation, and exchange of experience between China and foreign countries are also ways to achieve mutual appreciation and exchange between different peoples, countries and regions, using win-win cooperation as a link and heritage conservation and restoration as a bridge.

Jia Bin is Deputy Director and Associate Research Fellow of the Department of Artefact and Archaeological Research, Hainan Museum. He is mainly engaged in underwater archaeology in the South China Sea, conservation and research of underwater cultural heritage in the South China Sea, land archaeology in Hainan, history and culture of Hainan, and research on the Maritime Silk Road in the South China Sea. He has published academic books such as Discover South China Sea - Underwater Archaeological Discoveries and Research in the South China Sea, Hand in Hand with This Sea - Underwater Cultural Remains in the South China Sea and the Convergence of Asian Cultures, etc. In addition, he has published more than thirty papers of various kinds, mainly including the investigation report on the underwater cultural heritage of Xisha, the study of copper coins excavated from Xisha, the archaeological investigation of Xisha islands and reefs, Islamic burials in Hainan and the Maritime Silk Road in the South China Sea, etc.

 

Fu Yuqun, China News ServiceKailun Sui

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