Shipwrecks filled with relics dating to Ming Dynasty found in South China Sea

A photo released on May 21 by the National Cultural Heritage Administration shows porcelain relics scattered around one of the shipwrecks in the South China Sea. - China Daily

BEIJING (China Daily/Asia News Network): Two ancient shipwrecks, probably dating back to the middle of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), have been found at a depth of 1,500m in the South China Sea, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Sunday (May 21) in the coastal city of Sanya, Hainan province.

A scientific research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering discovered the shipwrecks on a continental slope in October. It was the first time that China had found such an expansive ancient shipwreck site so deep under the sea.