Ancient sunken ship to be reconstructed with 3D imaging

Archeologists are busy scanning the wreckage of the ancient sunken ship Huaguangjiao No.1 at the Hainan Museum in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, June 1, 2017. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Archeologists have almost completed scanning parts from an 800-year-old shipwreck to enable them to reconstruct the ancient merchant ship.

Data and images collected will be used to reconstruct the ship using 3D technology in the next six months.

Huaguangjiao No.1, an 800-year-old shipwreck from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), was discovered by fishermen in 1996.

More than 10,000 porcelain objects and 511 ship plates were excavated from the sunken vessel between 1998 to 2008.

The cultural relics and remains from the ship reveal China's trade with foreign countries along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.