96 MAY/JUNE 2022DISCOVERIES
of Guangzhou (also known as
Canton) on the Pearl Delta,
which, along with Quanzhou
and Xiamen, was one of
southern China’s key ports.
To historians, the Nanhai
No. 1 reveals the kinds of ob-
jects carried by 12th-century
fleets. Its huge stock of ce-
ramics included black Jian
ware, closely associated with
the Song period, as well as
green Longquan celadon,
noted for its carved lotus and
other flower motifs. Celadon
items have been found across
Southeast Asia, suggesting
that this is where the Nanhai
No. 1 was headed.
Archaeological finds haveshown that a Chinese stone-
ware with brown glaze was
also in demand in Southeast
Asia. Known as Cizao ware,
this is also found in the hold.
Not all of the Nanhai No. 1
goods, however, are consid-
ered luxury items. Its white
porcelain from Fujian was
mass-produced and sold at
lower prices.
The cargo also contained
around 10,000 coins. Many
bear symbols linked to the
reign of Xiao Zong, the 11th
Song emperor who ruled
from the 1160s to the late
1180s and was a strong pro-
ponent of ocean trade.
A discovery made in 2018helped fix the timing of the
voyage. A ceramic jar among
the cargo goods was found to
bear a black-ink inscription
on its underside that links its
manufacture to the year 1183,
placing the trip in or after
the early 1180s.Past and Future
In parallel to its historical im-
portance, the Nanhai No. 1 has
been a means for China’s
government to project the
country’s venerable history
as a naval and trading power.
Its discovery in 1987 occurred
just as the Cold War was end-
ing—and as China was be-
ginning to play a new role onthe world stage. By the time
of the Nanhai No. 1’s raising
from the seabed in 2007, Chi-
na’s global economic impor-
tance was beyond question.
The Belt and Road Initia-
tive, a massive China-funded
scheme launched in 2013 to
invest in infrastructure in
dozens of countries, is a
conscious updating of both
the Silk Road and the Mari-
time Silk Road. To many
Chinese people, the Nanhai
No. 1 reflects both the glories
of China’s mercantile past as
well as its ambitious projects
for the future.—Kexin ZhongALL IMAGES: MARITIME SILK ROAD MUSEUM GUANGDONG1.3.4.2.5.Gold, Silver,
and Porcelain
Having just left port when it sank in the 1180s, the
Nanhai No. 1 was carrying a huge cargo—as many as
80,000 items. Many were ceramics, from the most
affordable to some of the most luxurious. Thousands
of Song-era coins were also found in the cargo.- Black Jian ware bowl
from the province of
Fujian
2. Bronze bracelets
recovered soon after
the 1987 discovery
3. Chinese bronze
coins from the Song
dynasty
4. Gold necklace
recovered soon after
the 1987 discovery
5. Green Lonquan
celadon ware plate
with a floral motif