To cover over 2 millennium of maritime trade, in the Middle East, India, SE Asia and China under 50 slides, can only give us the briefest gleam into the course of history. To get the benefit of the slides, you will need to set aside some time to read through the contents (This is a very wordy document. It takes time to read). Our perceptions on the maritime contacts are changing too. The discovery in particular of dozens of ancient shipwrecks in Southeast Asia has built up a picture of the historic trade and the technology.I hope in these few slides, would help to understanding an aspect of human civilization on Earth. Too often our own ego-centric interest becomes a source of our own ignorance.

1. First created 28 Jul 2013. Version 1.0 - 1 Sep 2013. Jerry Tse. London.
Asian Maritime Trade
A History of Wealth, Power & the
Mariners
An impression of a Zhenghe’s Treasure ship and a statue of a Ming military officer in Wat Phra Kaeo (Royal Temple), Bangkok, Thailand.

2. EvidencesBlack Death
The outbreak of the Black Death in Europe in 1338,
reminds us of the trade links between Europe and Asia.
Coins
Archaeologists found many coins in foreign lands, in
particular Roman coins in India.
Spreading of Black Death in 14C, Europe
Roman gold coins found in Pudukottai, India. One coin of Caligula (37-
41 AD) and two coins of Nero (54-68 AD). British Museum. London.
A Yongle coin 1403-1425, Ming
Dynasty was found in the Island of
Manda, Kenya by an US team from the
University of Illinois, Chicago in Feb
2013.
A Byzantine gold coin of
Justin I (518-527 AD).
Excavated in 1988 at the
Xianyang International
Airport, Xian, China.

3. EvidencesCeramic
Green-splashed white dish with incised décor and bowl. 9C. Ceramic. Tang Dynasty, China.
Samerra Museum for Islamic Art Berlin.
Chinese (Tang Dynasty) ceramics found in Iraq.

4. The stele records the arrival of Nestorian Christian (from Syria
now) in China from the Roman Empire in 636. The stele was
erected in 781. Xian Stele Museum, China. Photo Taken in May
1984
Evidences
Indian Buddhist monks reached China
during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220
AD).
Travellers’ Tales
Marco Polo escorted the daughter of
Kublai Khan to Persia for marriage,
with a fleet of 14 ships, stopping at
Borneo, Sumatra, Ceylon and Persia,
between 1293 and 1295.
The journey of Cosmas
Indicopleustes, a merchant & Christian
monk, who sailed between Alexandria
and India around 550 AD.
Nestorian Christian from Syria arrived
in China in 636 CE.
Chinese history is full of tales of
travelling monks. The most well-known
is Xuanzang of Tang Dynasty.

5. Shipwrecks
Map Ref – http://koh-antique.com
Until recently, most of our
information on the Asian
maritime trade comes from
documented sources like books,
treaties and history. Since the
last quarter of the 20C, under
sea archaeology has provided us
with new understandings and
perceptions of the maritime
history. Most of the wrecks
examined came mainly from east
and southeast Asia. Following
slide is a list of the important
finds, recently.
Evidences

6. Shipwrecks
Belitung 826
Nanhai One 南海１號
1160
HuaGuangJiao One 華光礁 13C
Quanzhou 泉州 1272
Turiang 1305-70
Godawaya 2C BC
Indonesia. 1998. Dhow carried mainly Chinese ceramics. (length 18m,
width 5.6m. DWT 35 tons).
South China Sea. 1987. Chinese junk carried mainly Chinese
ceramics from Guangzhou. (length 30.4m, width 9.8m, 3.5m height. est DWT 300
tons).
Xinsha Is. China. 1996. Chinese junk carried mainly
ceramics. (length 20m, width 6m, 3-4m height. 60 tons).
Quanzhou Fujian China. 1973. Chinese ship carried incense wood.
Spices and coins. (length 24.2m, width 9.2m. Displacement 200 tons).
Found off the coast of Malaysia Peninsula in 1998, the Chinese Turiang
wreck of 1305-1370 carried Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese ceramics.
(length c26m).
Sri Lanka. 2008. Ship type unknown carrying Black & Red ware.
Evidences
Nan Han 南漢 Cirebon
968
Indonesia. 2004. Probably a dhow carried mainly Chinese wares.
(length 30m, width 12m. Payload 200-300 tons).
Shinan 1323
Korea. 1976. carried ceramic (mainly), wood and coins (7 million).
Another Korea wreck Wando ship (1050-1100). 1984. 30000 Chinese
celadon ceramics. (length 32-36m. 200 tons).
Below is a list of the pre-15C finds, in recent years.

7. West Asian Maritime Trade
In 1503-1480 BC the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut sent a maritime expedition to the land of
Punt thought to be lands around the exit of the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean.
Egypt
A reconstruction of a 20m long Hatshepsut’s ship built in 2009. It has a cargo capacity of about 17
tones and travels between 5 and 9 knots. The voyage took the ship from Egypt to Sudan.

8. West Asian Maritime Trade
When Roman took over the city of Alexandria, Egypt in 80 BC, they found the port earned an enormous
amount of revenue. Soon the Roman initiated trading voyages from Egypt to India. Alexandria became
the greatest commercial centre of the world. The currency of exchange was gold. Spices were the major
commodity for the trade. Judging by the amount of Roman coins in India and the concerns of Roman
politicians on the loss of gold and silver buying silk, the traffic must be been substantial.
Imperial Rome
1500 years later after Hatshepsut, the port of Alexandria in was the world’s busiest in Roman times.
Ref – National Geographic Jul 2011

9. West Asian Maritime Trade – Roman
There were some 40 ports in west India trading with Rome. In 2005 the ancient port of Muziris
was rediscovered. Amphorae (Mediterranean pottery jars) and glass were found. Recently
the 2C BC Godawaya wreck was discovered in the water of Sri Lanka yielding large jars of
Black and Red Ware of Mediterranean origin and glass ingots. Diplomatic relations between
Rome and south India are known to historians. The main exports of India were pearls, herbs,
spices, pepper, sesame oil and sugar to Rome.
India
Large jar from the Godawaya wreck, Sri Lanka on the bottom of the sea. Glass ingots, Godawaya wreck.
Glass beads from Muziris,
(modern day Pattanam).

10. It was said that apostles Thomas went to India. The Syrian Christian church had established
links with India, thought to be about 4C. Jews went to India about a few hundred years
earlier around 5C BC. Today a sizable of Christians and Jews still live in this part of India.
West Asian Maritime Trade – Gulf India
A modern day synagogue in Kochi, Kerala, South India.

11. By 7C powerful empires were established on each ends of the Asian maritime trade, the
Islamic empires in the west the Tang Dynasty in the east. Once again we saw the maritime
trade flourishing, as well as the trade on the Silk Road. The trade with south Indian ports on
western coast shifted to Sri Lanka, which became a trading hub.
West Asian Maritime Trade
In the 3rd
century we saw the declined of the Roman Empire. The Middle East was under the
control first by the Persian and followed by Islam. The maritime trade in the western Asia
were in the hands of the Persian, Arab and the Indian.
Arabs & Persian
Dish with cobalt blue in-glaze, developed in
the Middle East and painted with a palmette
design. 9C. Found in Barsa, Iraq. Collection
Unknown.
Dish with cobalt blue in-glaze mixed with a green in-glaze developed in
Tang Dynasty, China. 9C. Found in Barsa, Iraq, from the collection of
Victoria and Albert Museum. London. How did the Chinese green glaze
got onto an Iraqi dish? This shows the complexity of the trading
relationship once existed.

12. The Dhow
Reconstruction of an early dhow Sohar in 1980-81. It sailed from Oman to Guangzhou,
China. Such a ship was capable of making trans-ocean voyages from the Gulf to E
Africa, India, SE Asia and China, carrying Arab and Persian traders to Guangzhou
during the Tang dynasty (618-907). This dhow is double-ended and it is called a
‘boom’. It has a displace of about 200 tons.
History from the Sea. P Throckmorton p157

13. Asian Maritime Trade India
The maritime material history of Indian is less visible than its military and cultural influences on SE Asia.
The Hindu and Buddhist influences are plain to see in the ruins of Thailand’s Ayutthaya (1351-1767),
Burma's Bagan temples (1044-1287), Cambodia’s Angkor temples (800-1300) and the Javanese
Borobudur (early 9C). As in the west, we also see the rises and falls of powers on the back of the maritime
trade.
Chinese fishing nets in Kerala, India. It was suggested that the net was introduced by the Chinese explorer Zhenghe.
Recent research shows that these were introduced by the Portuguese Casado (married one) settles from Macau.
Ref : Deepa Leslie, St Alberts College, Ernakulam on http://enchantingkerala.org/

14. Asian Maritime Trade
Srivijaya (650-1377) was an Indianised maritime power based on Sumatra & the Malay Peninsula. It was
succeeded by the Javanese maritime power of Majapahit (1293-1527). By the time the Chinese admiral
Zhenghe visited the same area in c1405, he fought off the Chinese pirate Chen Zuyi’s fleet, killing more
than 5000 pirates.
The most important maritime powers controlling the maritime trades in the east were the Cholas Kingdom
(c300-1279) of South India during 950 and 1200. At its greatest extent, it controlled the Indian Ocean
around India & Sri Lanka in the west and the Malacca Strait & the Java Sea in the east. In 11C it launched
a series of raids against its main rival maritime power of Srivijaya.
Maritime Powers
The Borobudur ship is an 8C double outrigger sailing
vessel, depicted on a bas relief on the Borobudur
Buddhist monument in Central Java, Indonesia. This
sort of ships could be used to carry spices from the
more remote Spice Islands to the busy ports of
Sumatra and Java.

15. Detail Knowledge of the World pre-1500
The maps show explorations undertook by different regions of the world before 1500. The darker colours indicate
detail knowledge of areas. The lighter colours show some knowledge either by observations or from reports. The
lines shows the routes of the known explorers. The Times Complete History of the World, 8th
Ed published in 2010..

16. The rise of Malacca
Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511. Tome Pires reported c1515 4-5,000 Gujarati mariners sailed to
the city. (Ref The Strait Chinese by Khoo Joo Ee).
Asian Maritime Trade
Malacca was founded in about 1380 by a fleeing descendent of the maritime Srivijaya power, which was
defeated by the Javanese maritime Singhasari.
In the middle of 15C, Malacca became an international entrepot for the Chinese trades (mainly ceramics)
as well as the spice trade. It is beneficially located on the weather system boundary between the Monsoon
of Indian Ocean and Tropical Typhoon of the South China Sea.
Malacca became a regional power and its success also bought conflicts with the Thailand’s Ayuthaya and
later with the Vietnamese Champa
The Dutch bastion in Malacca was built on top of an earlier Portuguese fortification. Taken on Oct 2011.

17. The Asian maritime was a strong factor in the rises and falls of empires. In the 10C Venice & Genoa was
prosperous, on the trades with Levant and Constantinople. The bitter rivalry ended with defeat of Genoa
in 1381. Venice financed the Crusader, which eventually lead to the destruction of Byzantine Empire
which was a rival of Venice.
At the end of the 15C, the
Portuguese, Vasco de Gamma
discovered the sea route to India.
This led to the decline of Venice
and the Ottoman empire.
Eventually Portuguese was
replaced by the Dutch and then by
the British. The coming of Colonial
Age saw creation of the British
Empire. During this time trades
were widened by the introduction of
goods like tea & porcelain.
Asian Maritime Trade – European European
In 1549, the entire Portuguese
community of Quanzhou, Fujien was
massacred. This eventually led to the
founding of the Portuguese colony of
Macau in 1557. This is the Macau’s
landmark, the façade of St Paul’s built in
1602-40. Taken Dec 2005.

18. Studies in genetics tell us about ancient migrations. Maritime voyages and explorations are as
old as human existence.
There are records of contact between the Han Dynasty with India and Middle East. Contact
with Southeast Asia and Han Dynasty was established, as cloves (only grew in Moluccas,
Indonesia) were used as breath sweeteners and for the relief of toothache .
Most Chinese are familiar with the story of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang sending a fleet to
Japan in search of the elixir of life, in 219 BC and 210 BC.
Japan was first mentioned in Chinese history in 57 AD. The Han emperor gave a golden seal
to Japan, The seal was rediscovered in Japan in 1784.
King of Na Gold Seal. 57 AD. Fukuoka Art Museum. Rediscovered in 1784 on Shikanoshima Island, Fukuoka.
Han 202 BC-220 ADEast Asian Maritime Trade

19. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the
capital Xian had a section of the city set
aside for the Silk Road inhabitants. Trading
on the Silk road was expanded by the
regular maritime trades to Sri Lanka and
occasionally to the Middle East and Africa.
The traditional trades with Japan and SE
Asia also flourished as the Tang Dynasty
grew stronger. Watertight cabins in ships
were introduced
Chinese Maritime Trade
In the 4C Chinese monk Faxian (c337-422,
Eastern Jin Dynasty) returned from Sri
Lanka to China Laoshan Shandong.
Tang 618-907
The Huaisheng Mosque 懷聖 also known as the Lighthouse
Mosque 光塔寺 Guangzhou. It was thought that the mosque
was founded about 1300 years ago (c700 AD), in the Tang Dynasty.
The mosque was rebuilt in 1350 and in 1695 after a fire. The minaret
was built earlier and may have served as a beacon for ships. If the
dates are true then it is one of the oldest mosques in the world.
In 7C some 200,000 Persians, Arabs,
Indians, Malays and others lived in the city
of Guangzhou as traders, artisans and
metal workers. In 878, 120000 Jews,
Christians Muslims were killed by Huang
Chao in Guangzhou, reported by Abu-Zayd
of Siraf, a 10C Arab writer. (ref When China Ruled
the Seas. p39).

20. Chinese Maritime Trade during Tang
However, it is difficult to establish the extent of
Chinese mariners’ involvement in the trade at this
period. We do have documented evidences that
Chinese sailors sailed from Guangzhou to East Africa
between 785-805. There were a lot of overseas
traders in Guangzhou and in Xian. A fair amount of
Tang goods had found their way to the Middle East.
This set off a competitions in ceramic techniques
between the two areas.
Tang
A glazed pottery figurine of a black boy with curly hair. 7-8C. Tang
(618-906). British Museum London. A pair of similar if not identical
figurines can also be seen at the Heritage Museum, Shatin,
Hongkong. African were brought to Guangzhou China as slaves by
Arab. They were used as slaves.
Taken on Aug 2013.
Reference. Chinese Civilization In A New Light. Vol 6 – Tang Dynasty p61,
published by the Commercial Press, Hong Kong. See also ‘The Importation
of Negro Saves to China Under the Tang Dynasty’, by Professor Chang
Hsing-lang, published in Catholic University of Peking, Bulletin No. 7.
December, 1930 p 37-59.
Fortunately, we do have a very important Arab wreck
carrying Tang’s goods (825 AD), found near the
Belitung Island in the Java Sea. (see later slides).

21. Chinese Maritime Trade - Song
During the Song Dynasty, China saw the development of the night markets and its maritime
trade took off, in particular during the Southern Song (1127-1279), when it lost access to Silk
road. The main trade was the ceramic trades with SE Asia & India.
In 952 the first trade between China and Philippines was recorded. Traders from Mindoro
brought their goods to Guangzhou. A permanent Chinese navy was established, during the
Song Dynasty. The maritime trading network with Japan was strengthened, centred around
Ningbo and Hangzhou on Chinese east coast.
Song 960-1279
Origins of wares and location of Nan
Han Cirebon wreck found in the Java
Sea, a Five Dynasties (907-979) or
early Song ship lost around 970,
was discovered in 2005. It carried
260,000 pieces of trade goods,
mostly ceramic ~100,000 pieces, but
included glassware, terracotta, metal
and metalware, spices, semi-
precious stones, jewellery, tin, iron
ores and arsenic. It carried ceramic
from south China, glassware from
the Middle East, metalware from
China, goods from SE Asia and
India.
Ref: “Five Dynasty Treasures : Chinese Ceramics
found in Indonesian Cirebon Shipwreck” by Lim Yah
Chiew. Southeast Asian Ceramic Society.

22. List of Chinese Kilns
Kilns
Clusters of kilns around Guanzhou and Chaozhou are missing on the map. Kilns were used to produce
low cost ceramic for exports . Ref – Victoria and Albert Museum, London

23. Chinese Maritime Trade - Song
Trade between the Song and Korea was frequent.
Large quantities of goods were traded, mainly from
the northern ports of Hangzhou and Ningbo.
1087 Song Dynasty established an office in
Quanzhou 泉 州 to regulate maritime trade. The
incomes of Southern Song government was 4 times
that of Northern Song. At times it contributed 15%
of government incomes.
Song 960-1279
Granite Luoyang bridge in Quanzhou was completed
in 1059 with ship like piers.
A series of kilns were developed around Guangzhou
廣 州 , the southern gateway to maritime trade.
Their costs were lower because of their proximity to
the port. Guangzhou lost its dominance to
Quanzhou, as official policy shifted in favour of
Quanzhou. The trade in Chaozhou 潮 州 also
suffered because of pirates.
In 997 some 3000 government ships were
launched. Even in the turbulent year of 1128
Southern Song managed to produce 2000 ships in
the year. A series of ship building technologies of
haul and rudder designs were made.
Ningbo
Hangzhou
Quanzhou
Chaozhou
Guangzhou

24. Chinese Junk
An impression of Chinese ocean going Junk. According to Marco Polo such
ship has 13 compartments and can carry 150-300 crews, making frequent
voyages to the India Ocean.
History from the Sea. P Throckmorton p159

25. Chinese Maritime Trade - Yuan
During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) with the Mongol empire stretching from Asia to Europe, the land and
maritime trade routes were given new impetus. Yuan and Ming courts sent an unprecedented number of
diplomatic missions to South India by sea. India was the chosen destination of the first two Zhenghe
expeditions.
First historical contact between Indonesia and China was the Invasion of Java by the Mongols in 1293 with
a thousand ships. The first Chinese traders arrived on Ternate and Tidore in Maluku (Moluccas) Islands to
buy cloves and were later driven out by Javanese traders.
Yuan 1271-1368
We also saw the rise of
Japanese pirates activities.
Princess Taiping – a 14C warship
replica built in 2008, with craftsmen
from Fuzhou, Quanzhou and
Zhangzhou. It sailed from Hong
Kong on a trans-Pacific voyage to
Vancouver and San Francisco,
stopping in Taiwan and Japan.
The ill fated junk was sunk after a
collision with a Liberian tanker, on
its return voyage off the coast of
Taiwan,
Photo taken by Wellwin Kwok.
In 1351 Wu Jian recorded 7
mosques in Quanzhou,
indicating a sizable Muslim
population there.

26. Chinese Maritime Trade - Ming
Early Ming Dynasty saw the seven expedition voyages (1405-1433) of Zhenghe 和鄭 to the Southeast
Asia, India, the Gulf and Africa, with a gigantic fleet. After the expeditions, conservative official gained
power at the Ming court and banned maritime trades. However illegal maritime trades continued.
Ming 1368-1644
Ref : Philip’s Atlas of World History.
The first 3 voyages visited SE Asia, Sri Lanka and India. The next three voyages extended to the Gulf and East
Africa. The 7th
voyage was the most extensive with subsidiary voyage into the Red Sea.
Ref : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He

27. Ming 1368-1644Zheng He voyages 1405-33
A model of Zhenghe’s Treasure ship built in 2005 at
the Treasure Boat Shipyard site in Nanjing, with 63.3m
long. On the left is the inside of the ship.
Zhenghe’s voyages were the greatest maritime expeditions in Chinese history. Between 1404 and 1407,
1681 ocean going ships were ordered by the Ming court. In 1405 expedition some 27800 men were sailing
with a fleet 62 Treasure ships supported by approximately190 smaller ships. The fleet was composed of
nine-mist Treasure ships for passengers, Equine ships for horses and tribute goods, Supply ships, six –
mist Troop ships, Fuchuan 福 船 ships for general purpose carriers, patrol boats with oars and Water
Tankers for carrying fresh water.
The Treasure ships were used as passenger ships for the royal families, foreign dignitaries, diplomats,
officers and including entertainers. As none of the Treasure ships is found, the size of the ship is a
controversy. The upper limit for the ship is put at 140m in length and the lower limit is between 61m to
76m. Estimates for DWT varies wildly from 800 tons to 7000 tons !!!
Rulers of Calicut, Cochin, Java and Melaka visited the Ming court.

28. Chinese Maritime Trade - Qing
Vasco de Game reached India in 1497. Portuguese reached Malacca in 1509 and established trading in
Guangzhou in 1517. The arrival of European changed trades in Asia, which is beyond the scope of this
slideshow.
During Qing Dynasty, Chinese ceramic had reached a new peak of excellence. Arrival of the European
also open new markets and new demands. The European trade in tea rocketed. A new kind of ship were
built by the British, called the clippers.
Qing 1644-1911
An engraving on a London newspaper showing boxes of tea off loading from a
clipper (background), about 1000 ton sailing ship without engine.
Illustrated London News. October 1867.
Armorial Plate. Chinese export
porcelain. c1745.
Collection of Ughrooke House.

29. Exports
The spice trade was the oldest and the most important trade. It was the motive for the European to find a sea route to Asia.
The silk trade was also very old. Its importance to the maritime trade was more difficult to determine. Since c522, Arabs
began to manufacture silk and later by Byzantium in the 6C. There are still silk factories operating in Turkey today.
The Indian textile trade was very popular. It was exported to Europe, Middle East and SE Asia. The trade declined only
when the industrial weaving textile appeared.
The second most important trade was the ceramic trade. In particular around 7C, when Chinese maritime trade flourished.
Large amount of ceramic were discovered in wrecks. The trade was also boosted by the arrival of the European.
Tea drinking became popular during the Song Dynasty. The trade in tea ballooned when the British adopted the habit.
Spices
Metal
Ivory
Rhino horn
Animal skins
Ceramic
Glass
Metalware
Frankincense
Pearls
Ceramic
Iron
Ceramic
Spices
Textile
Gems
Iron
Ivory
Perfumes
Herbs
Pigments
Sandalwood
Spices
Ceramic
Silk
Tea
Metalware
Bamboo
Gunpowder
Rice
Camphor
Goods

30. GoodsSpice Ginger -
India China
Tamarind
- India
Saffron
- India
Coriander –
Europe,
Middle East
Nutmeg, Mace
- Moluccas
Cloves -
Moluccas
Cinnamon –
Sri Lanka
Turmeric
- India
Cumin - East
Mediterranean
Pepper -
India
Betal nut –
Tropical Asia,
E Africa
Star Anise –
China
Chilli – IndiaFrankincense, myrrh,
other aromatic resin –
Arabia and E Africa
Taken on Aug 2013.

31. Goods
Spices were as precious as gold in the Middle Ages in Europe and were needed to preserve surplus
foods. Empires rose and fought for the control the trades. The European colonialism, with its historical
consequences arose from it. It bought enormous wealth to many. The spice trade was the oldest and
lasted the longest. As the trade network grew, other commodities were traded, textile, silk, ceramic, tea
etc. Today India still produces 86% of the world spices, followed next by China with 4% of the
production.
Spice
Taken by Jason Pitcher.
The modern Spice Bazaar of Istanbul erected in 1660. The rents from the shops went to support the mosque.

32. Ship Types
Ships

33. The Belitung was an Arabic dhow. It was sailing on its
return journey from China in 826 AD, during the Tang
Dynasty (618-907). The ship sank off the coast of
Belitung island, Indonesia, by Sumatra.
Belitung – 826 AD Wreck
The Jewel of Muscat is a reconstruction of the Belitung dhow. Left – crew eating on board and a diagram of the dhow.
Its main cargo was ceramics manufactured in
Changshan 長 沙 . Together with a varieties of metal
ware from lead ingots to solid gold cup. Some 60,000
artefacts were salvaged.
The wreck was discovered in 1998. The entire salvaged
cargo was sold for $32m to the Sentosa Development
Corporation and the Singaporean Government. Today
the dhow, the Jewel of Muscat and the artefacts
salvaged from the wreck are housed at the Maritime
Experiential Museum of Singapore.

34. Jewel of Muscat - 2010
The Jewel of Muscat is a reconstruction of the Belitung dhow. The dhow is 18m long, 6.4m wide. Weight of boat is 20 tons
and a load of 35 tons of cargo and crews. The dhow took 138 days to sail from Muscat to Singapore at a average speed 3.7
kph.
Dhow

35. Artefacts
Belitung – 826 AD
Lobed silver parcel-gild boxes.
Large lidded Jar.
Bowl from the Changsha Kilns, the
earliest known ‘Blue and White
porcelain in China. Painted flora
lozenge motif on disk also from
Changsha.
Usually nearly 95% some 55000 pieces of
the ceramic carried by the dhow were
from Changsha kilns. On a bowl it was
inscribed with a date “16th
day of the 7th
month of the 2nd
year of the Baoli reign”
or 826 AD. It included the early Chinese
‘Blue & White’ porcelain.
Another surprise were the amount of
metal wares. There were 29 bronze
mirrors. There were also silver boxes and
plate, with several gold pieces.

36. Artefacts
Ewer with Dragon-head
spout & Feline handle (H
104 cm).
Dragon Medallion Bowl (D
15 cm).
Large Lidded Jar (H 39 x D
35 cm).
There were some 200 pieces of
white-glazed earthenware with
green paint décor. All dated
around same time as the wreck.
There were several suggestions
where the wares were
manufactured. The most accepted
origin is Gongxian kiln in Henan
province. Others were Changsha
Hunan or Yaozhou, Shanxi etc.
Belitung – 826 AD

37. Artefacts
Star anise (Star spice) from China found in storage jar. c825-50. Tang Dynasty, China. Credit –M Flocker.
Belitung – 826 AD

38. Artefacts
Lead ingot stored in Jar.
Belitung wreck
In the 7th
-8th
century, Yangzhou
揚 州 was the home of many
Arab and Persian merchants.
During the An Shi Rebellion of
760, thousands of them were
massacred and their wealth were
looted by Tien Shen-kung’s 田
神 功 rebel insurgents.
Eventually, the looted gold and
silver treasures were offered to
the emperor as tributes.
Ref: Wikipedia on Yangzhou and
Shipwreck published by the Arthur M
Asckler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution,
the National Heritage Board, Singapore
and the Singapore Tourism Board in
2010. p221.
Belitung – 826 AD

39. Bronze mirror with lions and grapevine design. c825-50. Dia 12.5 cm. Tang Dynasty, China. There were 29 bronze mirror
found at the wreck. Originally the mirrors were highly reflective silver but turned black in time. One mirror identified itself to
be made in Yangzhou.
ArtefactsBelitung – 826 AD

40. Artefacts
Four-lobed Silver Bowl (with a Rhino detail). c825-50. Silver. Tang Dynasty, China.
Belitung – 826 AD

41. Artefacts
Oval Lobed Gold Bowl (Two geese at the centre. detail). c825-50. Tang Dynasty, China. H 3 x L 15.5 x W 10.2 cm. Probably
manufactured in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China. ArtScience Museum. Singapore.
Belitung – 826 AD

42. Artefacts
A large octagonal footed solid gold cup. c825-50. H9.5 x D13.5 cm. On each face is a central Asian musician or dancer.
These entertainers were popular during this period. The cup was probably made in Yangzhou. Other similar Tang Dynasty
cups were found before. Some of them are on display at the Shaanxi History Museum. Silver and gold objects were hidden
on the bottom of the boat in a special compartment.
Belitung – 826 AD

43. Nanhai No 1 – 1160 AD
The Chinese merchant wreck sank off the south China coast c1160 (Song), carrying 60000-80000 items, mainly ceramics.
wreck

44. In December 2007, in front of live TV a chunk of the seabed containing the 850 years old Southern Song
wreck Nanhai No. 1 was lifted out of the sea to be placed in a newly constructed museum, known as the
‘Crystal Palace’ near the town of Yangjiang 陽江 , Guangdong, for further excavation.
The wreck (c1160) is one of the bigger and older wrecks, on the maritime trading route, in Chinese
waters. Excavation is continuing, but a brass kettle, a gold chain and numerous white ceramic from Dehua
德化 , Fujian have been found. The wreck contains some 60000 to 80000 items.
The cage containing the wreck buried in the seabed, is housed at the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum, Yangjiang.
wreckNanhai No 1 – 1160 AD

45. Nanhai No 1 wreck

46. wreck
One of the most interesting objects found on the wreck was a gold chain on Nanhai No. 1. As the gold chain was not of
Chinese origin, it might have belonged to a passenger returning home.
Nanhai No 1 – 1160 AD

47. Turiang 1370 & Royal Nanhai 1450 – Thai ceramics wreck
Left – Ceramic plate with a fish &
bottle from the wreck Turiang.
c1400. The wreck was sank on the
east coast of Malaysian Peninsula. It
was a Chinese junk probably sailing
from Ayutthaya (Thailand) to
Indonesia. The cargo was made up
of 57% Thai, 35% South Chinese and
8% Vietnamese ceramic wares.
Victoria & Albert Museum.
Photo taken 6 July 2013
A green-glazed bowl, a brown glazed jar and green-glazed stoneware from the wreck Royal Nanhai, sank in 1450-1500. It
was a Siamese ship found on the east coast of Malaysian Peninsula. The ship carried some 20,000 ceramics piece almost
entirely of Si Satchanalai wares, probably to Indonesia. It shows the success of Thai kilns in supplying the trade.

48. The Chinese ocean going junk “Keying” that sailed from China into the Atlantic, visited New York and London (1846-1848).
Keying – 1846 AD
Ships

49. Ships
Keying 1846
Keying - After Deck of the ship
Ref : Engravings of the ship Keying from
Illustrated London News 1 Apr 1848.
Keying – Interior of the ship
Keying ( 耆英 ) was a 45m long, three-
mast 800-ton trading junk. It was built in
Foochow between 1846-48, secretly by
British businessmen in Hongkong, as
Chinese government prohibited the sale
of such ships.
In Dec 1846, manned by 12 British and
30 Chinese sailors, it left Hongkong and
sailed to London. The ship entered the
Atlantic after passing the Cape of Good
Hope to New York. From New York it
sailed back to London on April 1848.
It was the only Chinese junk that sailed
into the Atlantic. It showed that the junk
was able to circumnavigate the world.
Ref : Wikipedia Keying Ship

50. Pepper, the Prince of Spice. Black pepper corns and black pepper plants in plantation.
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The End
Music – Solitude performed by Nigel Kennedy.
A History of Wealth, Power & the
MarinersDedicated to the nameless men and women, who sailed across the seas, at the mercy of the seas and pirates.