Quanzhou ship
Encyclopedia
The Quanzhou Ship, or Quanzhou wreck, was a 13th century Chinese sea-going sailing junk
that sunk near the city of Quanzhou
in Fujian
Province, and was discovered in 1973. It remains one of the most important marine archaeology finds in China, and is an important piece of physical evidence about the shipbuilding techniques of the Song China
.
Zhuang Weij (庄为玑, 1909–1991).
It is thought that in the 13th century a shipping channel ran in that area. During the heyday of Quanzhou as one of China's major sea ports, the area corresponded to the ancient Houzhou Harbor (后渚港, Houzhougang; Hou-to in Wake (1997).
The parts of the ship located above the original waterline had perished, but the lower parts of the hull had been preserved fairly well in mud and water.
The main evidence for dating the vessel comes from 504 copper coins found inside the hull. Seventy of them date to the Song Dynasty, with the "youngest" of them dating to 1272. Based on this, the archaeologists concluded that the ship must have sunk within a few years after 1272 - that is, during the very last years of the Southern Song Dynasty (which fell to the Mongols in 1279), or perhaps already after the Mongol conquest of South China.
The ship is presently preserved in Quanzhou Overseas Relations Museum (泉州海外交通史博物馆), which has a special "Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ships Exhibit" dedicated to this vessel and several other vessels recovered in similar circumstances. The exhibit is located in the former Kaiyuan Temple. The exhibit also includes a modern model of the ship as it must have looked like during its working life.
") of 9.82 meters. The below-waterline part actually preserved was 24.02 m long and 9.15 m wide, and 2 m deep.
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
that sunk near the city of Quanzhou
Quanzhou
Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders all other prefecture-level cities in Fujian but two and faces the Taiwan Strait...
in Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
Province, and was discovered in 1973. It remains one of the most important marine archaeology finds in China, and is an important piece of physical evidence about the shipbuilding techniques of the Song China
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
.
Discovery
The Quanzhou ship was discovered in 1973 and excavated by Chinese archaeologists during the summer of 1974, from 2–3 meters of mud in the shore area of Quanzhou Bay. The excavation was led by the local archaeologist, professor of history at Xiamen UniversityXiamen University
Xiamen University , colloquially known as Xia Da , located in Xiamen, Fujian province, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese. Before 1949, it was originally known as the University of Amoy. The school motto is "Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection "...
Zhuang Weij (庄为玑, 1909–1991).
It is thought that in the 13th century a shipping channel ran in that area. During the heyday of Quanzhou as one of China's major sea ports, the area corresponded to the ancient Houzhou Harbor (后渚港, Houzhougang; Hou-to in Wake (1997).
The parts of the ship located above the original waterline had perished, but the lower parts of the hull had been preserved fairly well in mud and water.
The main evidence for dating the vessel comes from 504 copper coins found inside the hull. Seventy of them date to the Song Dynasty, with the "youngest" of them dating to 1272. Based on this, the archaeologists concluded that the ship must have sunk within a few years after 1272 - that is, during the very last years of the Southern Song Dynasty (which fell to the Mongols in 1279), or perhaps already after the Mongol conquest of South China.
The ship is presently preserved in Quanzhou Overseas Relations Museum (泉州海外交通史博物馆), which has a special "Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ships Exhibit" dedicated to this vessel and several other vessels recovered in similar circumstances. The exhibit is located in the former Kaiyuan Temple. The exhibit also includes a modern model of the ship as it must have looked like during its working life.
Description
According to the archaeologists' study of the ships' remains, it was a three-masted ship, with the original length of 34.6 meters long and width ("beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
") of 9.82 meters. The below-waterline part actually preserved was 24.02 m long and 9.15 m wide, and 2 m deep.