CRI听力: New Relics Retrieved from Nan'ao No. 1

Thousands of relics have already been found during the month-long underwater archaeological probe of the ancient sunken ship "Nan'ao No. 1" off the coast of southern China.

As investigations continue, archeologists expect to derive more valuable information about the history of both maritime trade and shipbuilding during this fascinating period of history.

In the latest excavation on Sunday afternoon, archaeologists retrieved a number of relics, most of which were porcelain.

Chen Huasha, a researcher with the Palace Museum, selected one piece of treasure on the spot for an initial study.

"This is a plate with the pattern of a portrait. It is tableware, and was produced in the Pinghe Kiln in Fujian province. I think the figure portrayed on the plate is Mi Fu, a calligrapher and painter from the Song Dynasty."

Because much of the porcelain retrieved has Chinese characters, Chen Huasha believes that the destination of the vessel may have been Korea, Japan or Southeast Asia where there was a strong Chinese influence, as opposed to Europe or Africa.

The vessel was named Nan'ao No. 1, since it was first discovered by local fishermen three years ago near the Nan'ao Island off the coast of Shantou City. The ship dates back to the late Ming dynasty, probably some 500 years ago during the reign of the Wanli Emperor.

Reposing nearly thirty meters underwater, the wooden ship measures no less than 25 meters in length and seven meters across at its widest point. While the superstructure has largely rotted away over the centuries, most of its hulls and outriggers are still in fairly good shape.

The salvage team is still devising a plan to hoist the vessel from the water.

Mao Peiqi is a historian from the Renmin University.

"We seldom see genuine examples of ocean-faring vessels from the Ming Dynasty. So we are very interested in this."

The identity of the Nan'ao No. 1 has also drawn people's attention.

Since the salvage team recovered an iron canon-like cylinder from the vessel, some people have speculated it may have been a pirate ship.

But Jiang Bo, a researcher with the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, disagrees.

"Porcelain and copperware were retrieved from the vessel, so it is apparent that the ship was engaged in trade. It's unlikely to have been a pirate ship like some have conjectured. In those days it was common practice for commercial vessels to arm themselves with weapons like cannons."

The discovery of the ship has thrown further light on the role that Shantou City once played in the South China Sea trade, now known as the Marine Silk Road. And the ongoing exploration is bound to add more details, helping to complete the picture of Southeast Asia's flourishing trade prior to the arrival of European sailors.

For CRI, I'm Zhao Jianfu.