After a merchant ship from the Southern Song Dynasty lay buried off the coast of Guangdong for over 800 years, more than 180,000 relics have been recovered from the shipwreck. Where did the ship "Nanhai I" come from? Where did it make its last stop? For years, these questions puzzled researchers.
The breakthrough lay hidden in a batch of pottery jars. In cargo holds No. 9 and No. 10, archaeologists discovered 220 brown-glazed jars. Tests also revealed traces of yeast and mold inside them, suggesting they had once been filled with fine wine. Through scientific comparisons, researchers found that the jars closely matched relics from the Qishi and Wentouling kilns in Nanhai, Foshan, in terms of shape, body paste, glaze and chemical composition. Foshan's Nanhai was thus confirmed as their "birthplace."
Reporter: Sun Jingfeng
