South China Sea shipwrecks
The South China Sea shipwrecks are two shipwrecks discovered in the South China Sea. The shipwrecks may yield important archaeological evidence about the marine Silk Road trade route linking ancient China with the Western world.
South China Sea-I was discovered in 1987 and is the marine Silk Road area. It dates back to the Song Dynasty era (960-1279).
A few days after South China Sea I began to be excavated in early June 2007, a second wreck, named South China Sea-II was discovered using satellite navigation. The official Xinhua news agency cited Guangdong archaeologists and said the wreck was 7 to 18 m long and at a depth of 20 m, and also cited preliminary studies showing the ship shows it may have sunk after hitting a reef around the early 17th century. Over 300 pieces of porcelain, including bowls, plates, pots and bottles, were recovered from this wreck.