Museum of Nanyue King – Sailing the Seas Part 3 Ancient Ports and Maritime Tech

In this post, we look at the ancient ports along the Maritime Silk Road, and the maritime technologies over time. Finally we take a look at the those that were lost at sea.

Ancient Ports

Also the coasts of ancient Guangdong were many ports, of which Guangzhou, Macao and Hong Kong were the most famous around the world because of historical reasons. Let’s examine the rest of the ancients ports along the coast.

Maritime Technologies

The formation and advancement of the Maritime Silk Road are largely derived from the development and innovation of seafaring knowledge and navigation technology. And throughout history, we can see the evolution of maritime technologies in the relics from different eras.

Seafaring Technology

Historians think China may have been the first civilization to develop a magnetic compass that could be used for navigation. Chinese scientists may have developed navigational compasses as early as the 11th or 12th century (Song Dynasty). Western Europeans soon followed at the end of the 12th century. And by Ming Dynasty (15th Century), China has already one of the best maritime maps of the world.

《沿海全图》 长卷 （复制） “Full Map of the Coast” Long Scroll (Reproduction)

纸【民国】江门市新会区博物馆藏 Paper, Republic of China (1911~), Jiangmen Xinhui District Museum Collection

广东省江门市新会区博物馆馆藏一幅彩绘《沿海全图》长卷，为清初陈伦炯《沿海全图》的摹本，是一幅重要的海防舆图。本文通过分析该图的来源、结构、内容等，并与其他摹本进行对比，探讨其共同点及不同点，推测其绘画年代为雍正至乾隆年间，是最早期的摹本之一。

造船知识与技术 Shipmaking Knowledge and Technology

汉代、中国的航海技术有了初歩发酵。汉代的船舶竖有风帆，又有尾舵，为开拓海上丝绸之路奠定了物质和技术基础，广州汉墓出土的陶船模型种类较多，有适合在浅窄河涌划行的货船，有行驶于江河湖泊上的航船，还有航行海上的楼船。

宋元时期，造船技术愈发成熟。多重船壳板的应用及龙骨、肋骨的设计，使得船体连接成坚固的整体，面宽底尖的海船吃水颇深，有利于抵御海浪的冲击；水密舱技术得到大范国的推广；船板使用榫连和铁钉加固，并用桐油灰和麻丝、竹菇塞缝。这一时期，泉州制造的海船冠盖全国，〝每岁造舟通夷域”。

陶船 Pottery Boat

陶【东汉】广州市文物考古研究院藏 Pottery, Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), Guangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology Collection

自古以来，沿海河流冲积平原四周河道密布，舟船成了当时人们出行的必备交通工具。伴随着远距离航线是的开通，各地的造船传统也开始相互影响，在东亚板块内，更是以中国的造船技术系统为核心，至明代达到顶峰，形成了福船、广船、沙船三大传统船型。

铁质工具、腰牌 Metal Tools, Warrant Pass

铁【明】江苏南京明代宝船厂遗址出土 南京市博物总馆藏 Iron, Ming Dynasty  (1368-1644 AD), unearthed at the site of the Ming Dynasty Treasure Shipyard in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Museum Collection

设施支撑 Infrastructure Support

海上丝绸之路上的贸易交流之所以能够长期顺利开展，与沿线各地提供的港口、码头、航标、桥梁、运河等基础设施密不可分。涨海声中，国内的丝绸、茶叶、瓷器等货物自码头港口出海，海外的珍宝特产则随商船大舶白港涌入，实现了资源的互通有无，造就了共生共荣的海洋贸易体系。The long-term smooth development of trade exchanges on the Maritime Silk Road is inseparable from the ports, wharves, beacons, bridges, canals and other infrastructure provided along the route. In the rising sea, domestic silk, tea, porcelain and other goods went to sea from the wharf port, and overseas treasures and specialties flooded into the white port with merchant ships, realizing the exchange of resources and creating a symbiotic and co-prosperity marine trade system.

Shipwrecks

Salvaged from the shipwrecks

南海 1号 Nanhai No. 1 (South China Sea)

The Nanhai No. 1 南海 1号 is a Chinese merchant ship, which sank into the South China Sea during the Southern Song dynasty between 1127 and 1279. The ship is 30.4 m (100 ft) long, 9.8 m (32 ft) wide, and 3.5 m (11 ft) in height (excluding the mast). It is the biggest ship of its kind to be found. 

It was the first ancient vessel discovered on the Maritime Silk Road. According to the head of the excavation project, the ship left port in southern China to trade with foreign countries and sank probably due to stormy waves. It was quickly buried by silt.

In 2007, China began to raise the ship and its artifacts. The ship was placed in a pool-type container called the “Crystal Palace” in the purpose-built Maritime Silk Road Museum. The container is 64 meters long, 40 meters wide and 23 meters high. It contains seawater and is about 12 meters in depth. Visitors are able to watch the ongoing excavation of the ship through windows on two sides of the pool.

Here’s a great article from National Geographic about the shipwreck and how it was salvaged.

Conclusion

The Belt and Road Initiative, 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 Maritime 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.

About Museum of Nanyue King 南越王博物馆 (MNYK)

Officially known as Western Han Museum of the Nanyue King Mausoleum 西汉南越王墓博物馆, MNYK is always on the top list of things to do in Guangzhou for archaeological lovers and Chinese history and culture enthusiasts.

The museum was firstly opened to the public in 1983 and renovated in 2010. Inside the museum, you can find the original site of the tomb, more than 1,000 pieces of rare treasures unearthed from the tomb and a collection of ceramic pillows donated by Mr. Yeung Wing-Tak. Those elegant artefacts will take you to the exquisite life of Nanyue State 2,000 years ago.

Nanyue King Museum 南越王博物馆
广州市越秀区中山四路316号
Tel : +86 (020) 36182920（王墓展区）, +86 (020) 83896501（王宫展区）

Opening Hours: open all year around from 9:00am to 17:30pm (on 28th February and 31st August of every year, it will be closed for maintenance), except every Monday.

Visited Jan 2022