In recent years various news items regarding the sea have attracted people’s attention. The 2014 Annual Meeting of the Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage was held at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage in Beijing on February 24. Experts exchanged views with each other on how to enhance underwater cultural heritage protection.

New points of growth

At present, China’s underwater cultural heritage protection ranges from the Nansha Islands waters in the south to Ji’an city of Jilin Province in the north. Archaeological objects have expanded from former shipwreck sites to ancient underwater sites, such as the ancient Junzhou city located in today’s Hubei Danjiangkou Reservoir and the Jieshi Palace in Liaoning’s Suizhong, and archaeological projects have expanded abroad to include aiding Kenya in its underwater archaeology. The construction of a base of national underwater cultural heritage protection is being pushed forward, and the South China Sea base and the Xisha workstation are being perfected. Furthermore, China’s first underwater archaeological research ship, the “China Archaeology No. 01”, is expected to be brought into service by June this year.　　

In 2013 ten Chinese provinces and cities were involved in underwater cultural heritage protection, and 19 new underwater sites were confirmed. Additionally the number of diving personnel has reached 710, and the physical area of exploration has reached 96.64 square kilometers. These figures indicate the obvious highlights and new growth points in China’s underwater cultural heritage protection in 2013. Liu Shuguang, director of Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, says that the underwater cultural heritage investigation in the Nansha Islands waters, the archaeological excavation of the “South China Sea No.I” and the construction of the underwater archaeological research ship “China Archaeology No. 01” are the most iconic projects in this field.

The work of archaeological excavation and protection carried out by the “South China Sea No. I” can be called “underwater field archaeology”. This work involves high-level science and technology and a degree of innovation, and elements of field archaeology as well as characteristics of underwater archaeology. There are strict requirements for the protection of the cultural relics once they are out of the water.

Joint model applied to underwater archaeology

“Experts nationwide, organized by national-level scientific research institutions to tackle key problems through scientific research, have made important achievements，” explains Wei Jun, curator of the Guangdong Provincial Museum, while introducing the excavation and protection of “the South China Sea No.I”. In fact, the protection of underwater cultural relics needs support from various disciplines and departments. For instance, the passive sonar underwater prevention system, the analysis of pictures of blue-and white porcelain extracted by computer and the relevant data, video material and the automated collection of texture information all necessitate the attention of professionals from different fields. Organizations outside of the archaeological system have also played a significant role, including the 3rd Institute of Oceanography of State Oceanic Administration, the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, and the Institute of the North Sea Marine Engineering Investigation of the State Oceanic Administration.　　

Jiang Bo, Director of the Institute of Underwater Archaeology in the Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, noted that the views of various disciplines needed to be synthesized in discussing the values of underwater archaeological material. “Taking Persian glazed pottery as an example, they have been found in shipwrecks in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Philippines as well as in China’s Ningbo and Yangzhou, and there are also records about Persian merchant ships coming to China. Combining all these elements with the Maritime Silk Road can help to draw up the trade routes which the Persians used to take from the west to the east,” said Jiang.

China’s protection of underwater cultural relics has played a positive role in safeguarding national maritime rights and interests as well as sovereignty. The “underwater cultural relics investigation of the Nansha Islands waters” is the first Nansha archaeological project implemented by professional institutions and organized by nationally competent departments of cultural relics. Through this project we have filled up a blank in China’s underwater cultural heritage investigation and we have supplemented and verified China’s ancient documents and historical folk records by gathering the first batch of Nansha cultural relics with exact underwater locations, providing more historical proof which can safeguard our rights in the South China Sea.

At the annual meeting, an official from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage said that in 2014 they will further promote the normalization, scientific and sustainable development of underwater cultural heritage protection. China will further enhance the overall management of its projects of underwater cultural heritage nationwide. In 2014 major projects will be carried out in China, including the implementation of the “South China Sea No. I” archaeological excavation and protection, and the construction of the Xisha archaeological workstation.

The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 566, March 3, 2014.

Chinese link: http://www.csstoday.net/xueshuzixun/guoneixinwen/88054.html

Translated by Yu Hui

Revised by Gabriele Corsetti