Unboxing a more than 800-year-old “Mystery Box!”

Editor's Note:

Throughout the long history of Hainan, different cultural treasures have emerged in many parts of the island. This series, titled 'Rebirth of Cultural Relics', will systematically sort through these ancient wonders, delve deeply into the stories and meanings behind them, and bring them back to life as more and more people begin to understand what makes them so special.

From deep within Poseidon’s inky realm, shipwrecks lurk like giant mystery boxes waiting for underwater archaeologists to open them and let the world discover what’s hidden inside. Undisturbed on the ocean floor for over 800 years, the “Huaguang Reef I” shipwreck—one of the precious treasures of the Hainan Museum’s permanent collection—contained a large number of historical and cultural relics including porcelain, pottery, and ironware.

Rendering of the Huaguang Reef I. (Photo: Hainan Museum)

Discovered in 1996 in the area of the Xisha Islands’ Huaguang Reef, the length, width, and height of the remnants of this Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) shipwreck are 18.4m × 9m × 3~4m. The numerous underwater archaeological excavations and recovery missions which have taken place since its discovery have resulted in around 10,000 historical and cultural relics being brought back to land.

Underwater photos of the Huaguang Reef I. (Photo: Hainan Museum)

Preserved by the same natural forces that sunk it, the Huaguang Reef I has a multilayered hull, the oldest ship remains in China’s underwater archeology that showcases the truly exquisite skills of ancient Chinese shipbuilders. From the outer shape of the Huaguang Reef I, it can be classified as a Fujian-style junk. Suitable for ocean voyages, the Fujian-style junk was one of the primary ship types used by Admiral Zheng He during his famous trading mission in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Given their value as trade goods, most of what’s been recovered from the Huaguang Reef I wreck are the quality ceramics that filled the ship’s hold. Coming mostly from major Fujianese kiln sites like Cizao and Dehua, experts are able to date the wreck to the Southern Song Dynasty. However, there are also pieces of common pottery and ironware as well.

During this era, the kilns of Fujian and Jiangxi were quite famous for their porcelain and recovered items from the wreck include various sizes of bowls and plates, cups, bottles, jars, and teapots.

Items related to the Huaguang Reef I Shipwreck on display at the Hainan Museum. (Photo: Hainan Museum)

For a single merchant ship to hold such a quantity and quality of artifacts in combination with said artifacts coming from multiple points of origin tells us a great deal about China’s porcelain production and trade environment during the Southern Song Dynasty.

The Huaguang Reef I has been located in the Hainan Museum for protection and restoration since it was salvaged in 2008. With the second phase of hull protection (carefully drying and shaping the wood and filling it with protective polymers) currently underway, salvage of such old wood that has been underwater for so many years is a complicated, multi-phase project that is expected to be finished some time in the next three years. Beginning in 2023, Phase II’s goal is to complete the filling and reinforcement, antibacterial and mildew prevention, and evaluation and monitoring of the 511 hull components retrieved from the ocean floor and carry out preliminary experiments in freeze-drying. If all goes well, this means that the rest of this Grade II Cultural Relic will undergo freeze-drying next year.(By Marian Rosenberg)