One of the Top 10 artefacts in Guangdong Museum, the gold belt was found by brutal dredging of a suspected shipwreck. Luckily nothing else was damaged except for the mast that was detached and therefore confirming the site of the shipwreck.
Gilded Gold Belt 鎏金腰带
Gold | Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) | Dimensions – L: 170cm， W: 566g | Guangdong Museum Collection, Salvaged from shipwreck “South China Sea No.1” in 1987. 金饰｜南宋（公元1127年—1279年）｜长170公分，重566 克｜广东省博物馆藏，1987 年出水自南宋沉船“南海I号”
This gold belt was salvaged from a shipwreck found off the coast of Yangjiang City in Guangdong Province in 1987. The shipwreck is now known as Nanhai One shipwreck. The gold belt is important in the study of manufacturing process of gold and copper items in ancient Persia.
It is Arabic in style, the technique of making it was most likely from Persia. The main belt is made from eight strands of gold gilded copper strings that are braided together into four groups.
The hook is attached to one end of the gold chain, and is decorated with a yingluo pattern 璎珞纹 like a string of bejewelled necklace hanging down the bosom of a lady.
There are four small rings attached at the other end of the belt, which is for self adjustment to the length of the wearer just like modern belts.
Regardless of the shape or length of the belt, this gold belt is extremely rare, and there has never been a similar one found before. The origins of the belt are a mystery, and its owner is naturally a mystery. Some experts said that this kind of belt was generally the decoration of a noble lady in ancient times, which is like the “low waist” dressing effect advocated by today’s fashionistas. Some experts combined with the length, structure and other aspects of the belt, and believe that the owner of this gold belt may be a rich foreign businessman or a national leader.
About the Shipwreck “South China Sea No.1” 南海一号
It was intended to be a search for the shipwreck for 18th-century Dutch East India Company ship, the Rijnsburg 莱茵堡号. Instead, the exploration team found what is now known as South China Sea No.1 or Nanhai One 南海一号, a Southern Song dynasty ship that probably sank around the year 1160.
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 so far although the deck was totally decayed, the rest of the wooden ship was relatively intact. It was the first ancient vessel discovered on the Maritime Silk Road. The ship left port in southern China to trade with foreign countries and sank probably due to stormy waves. It was quickly covered by silt 2m deep, and was found at depth of 23m on the seabed.
Although it was discovered in 1987 but due to fundings and technical difficulties, salvaging did not take place until 2007. A purpose built Maritime Silk Route Museum 广东海上丝绸之路博物馆 was built to house the wreck while salvaging continued. The entire wreck, including part of the seabed and seawater, was containerised and lifted.
The whole container was then moved into the special dry dock filled with seawater nicknamed the Crystal Palace 水晶宫 to continue the salvage. The museum was opened to public in 2009 while the salvaging of the haul continued. Seawater was pumped out layer by layer to protect the integrity of the structure.
By end of 2019, over 180,000 pieces of artefacts were retrieved from the shipwreck, which included large amount of Song dynasty porcelain, cast iron cookware, and some precious Yuan dynasty artefacts.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
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