Source: Xinhua Net
Shanghai, 2 Mar (Xinhua) -- The "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship, which is the largest, most completely preserved, and largest number of cultural relics found in the mainland's underwater archaeology, officially began salvaging on 2 March. The archaeology and cultural relics protection of the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship were launched at the same time.
The "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship is a trading merchant ship during the Qing Dynasty and tongzhi. At present, it is sleeping under the water of Hengsha Shoal in the northeast of Hengsha Island in Chongming, Shanghai, and the hull of the ancient ship is buried 5.5 meters under the seabed. Archaeological surveys have shown that this ancient Qing Dynasty ship is about 38.5 meters long and about 7.8 meters wide in the central part, and has been found to have 31 cabins, which contain exquisite cultural relics such as Jingdezhen kiln porcelain.
On March 2, the launching ceremony of the salvage of the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship was held at the Waigaoqiao Wharf in Shanghai. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Long
Shanghai is one of the important ports of the Maritime Silk Road, and at the beginning of modern times, it has rapidly risen to become a well-known international metropolis and a major port in the world. After more than 10 years of underwater exploration, archaeological excavation and proper protection, the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship is expected to "break the waves" at the end of this year.
Li Qun, vice minister of culture and tourism and director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said that the newly revised "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Protection and Administration of Underwater Cultural Relics" will be implemented soon, and the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" is by far the largest ancient ship archaeology and cultural relics protection project at home and abroad, and it is also the world's first archaeological and cultural relics protection project implemented simultaneously in the excavation, overall migration, cultural relics protection and museum construction, which marks a major breakthrough in underwater archaeology on the mainland and contributes Chinese technology, Chinese experience and Chinese solutions to the world's underwater archaeology.
After more than ten years, the mainland has once again launched a large-scale underwater archaeological operation to salvage wooden ancient shipwrecks and carry out related cultural relics protection work. Previously, the Song Dynasty ancient ship "Nanhai No. 1" was salvaged out of the water in 2007, which caused a sensation in the world.
The "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship overall migration project and other proportions of the test site taken on January 26. Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage)
"The 'Yangtze River Estuary No. 2' ancient ship is a physical witness of modern Shanghai as a trade and shipping center in East Asia and even the world and an important node of the 'Belt and Road'." The great underwater archaeological discovery of Yangtze River Estuary No. 2 has extended the historical axis for us, enhanced the credibility of history, enriched the historical connotation, and activated the historical scene. Fang Shizhong, director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage, said.
It is reported that Shanghai will use an unprecedented innovative scheme - "arc beam non-contact cultural relics overall salvage technology" to salvage this wooden ancient sailing ship. Wang Wei, chairman of the Chinese Archaeological Society, believes that this current world-leading high-tech underwater archaeology program has truly realized the integration and development of cultural relics protection and scientific and technological innovation, and contributed to the construction of archaeology with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style and Chinese style.
"Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship part of the water cultural relics (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage)
It is reported that the underwater archaeological operation to salvage the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship is expected to be completed in 2022. Once salvaged out of the water, the ancient ship was quickly lifted onto a special salvage engineering vessel, embedded in its open cabin interior.
Subsequently, the engineering ship sailed the "Embrace" "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship to Dock No. 1, the former site of shanghai shipyard in Yangpu Riverside, Shanghai. In the future, the old dock, also built during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, will be transformed into an archaeological base for shipwrecks and an ancient ship museum, where archaeologists will gradually uncover the mysteries of the many origins of this ancient ship.