Raise the Nanhai

An 800-year-old Song Dynasty merchant boat loaded with precious trading goods has been rescued from the sea bed, and is now residing in its own state-of-the art Museum called the “Crystal Palace” in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, southern China. Before it was raised the 5000-ton ship, the Nanhai (South China Sea), was resting under 24 meters of water and two meters of sand. When it was discovered in 2002, archaeologists took over 6,000 artefacts from a single room on the vessel, and the entire wreck could contain up to 80,000 priceless treasures.

The 30-meter-long wooden vessel is now resting in a specially constructed glass pool, with water temperature, pressure and other environmental conditions mimicking those of the sea bed where the ship had lain. The $20.5 million, five-hall museum is expected to open by the middle of 2008, and visitors will be able watch the ongoing recovery of the ship through windows on two sides of the pool. Archaeologists hope the Nanhai will confirm the existence of an ancient maritime trade route linking China and the West.

Images of the Crystal Palace from Chinese Trend

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