Song Dynasty Shipwreck In South China Sea Conserved

GUANGZHOU, CHINA—Xinhua reports that more than 140,000 artifacts have been recovered from a Song Dynasty (A.D. 960–1279) shipwreck discovered in the South China Sea in 2007. Cui Yong of the Guangdong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology said the merchant ship measured about 72 feet long and about 30 feet wide. It carried a cargo of porcelain, gold, silver, copper, iron, bamboo, and lacquered wood items, as well as copper coins. The remains of plants and animals have also been found. The vessel itself has been moved to the Maritime Silk Road Museum in Yangjiang, where it is being conserved. To read about an informative item recovered from a different Song Dynasty shipwreck, go to “Artifact.”