Chinanews, Beijing, April 24 - The exploration of the famous shipwreck, Nanhai-I, has entered the final stage recently. More than 300 complete or nearly complete pieces of cultural relics have been found in the sea areas around it in the last series of investigations, including 235 metal artifacts of 20 sets, 50 pieces of chinaware of 40 sets, and 15 pieces of stoneware and japan.

 

Nanhai-I was a merchant ship in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279), and it is the oldest, biggest and the best preserved offshore trading ship hitherto discovered in the world, with more than 60,000 cultural relics having been found on or near the ship.

 

Archeologiests believe that Nanhai-I used to play an active part on the "Maritime Silk Road", and it will provide precious material information for the research of the nautical history of China, as well as the history of ship-and-china-making of this country.

 

After checking the condensate from the shipwreck, archeologists were surprised to find quite a number of new cultural relics, including a 3-m-long stone anchor of diamond shape, two gold-plated bracelets with a dragon pattern and a japan wood box. The bracelets are luxuriously designed, and very well preserved. 800 years under the sea has not harmed their beauty at all.

 

The container of the shipwreck will arrive at the scene at the end of April, 2007, and the entire ship will be dragged out of the sea in June or July.