Ancient shipwrecks yield treasures in the South China Sea

The No 1 Shipwreck carried a load of porcelain, presumably earmarked for export to Southeast Asia. Contrastingly, the second shipwreck was found to have been transporting mainly timber homeward from overseas.

"This is the initial discovery of ancient merchant vessels in the same area, believed to be privately owned merchant ships," Song said.

The underwater archaeological exploration of the two shipwrecks on the Northwest Continental Slope of the South China Sea represents an important advancement for China's underwater archaeology, extending from coastal waters to the deep sea, said Xie Jing, vice governor of Hainan province.

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