Five ancient shipwrecks found in South China Sea

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 ◆ Five ancient shipwrecks found in South China Sea

A 12-member archaeological team with the state research center of underwater archaeology recently discovered five ancient shipwrecks in the sea close to Dongshan county of southeast China"s Fujian province.

Lin Guo, the team leader said that judging from the number and age of the pottery items discovered in the ten-day search, one of the five shipwrecks was an international trade vessel navigating during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Zhang Wei, director of the state research center of underwater archaeology, said that the team located the five wrecks" positions by means of high-tech sonar sensing devices. The success of this operation means more such explorations can be carried out in the future, he said.

The archaeologists will study the relics discovered in the wreckage and compare them with pieces found at other on-ground excavations to clearly determine their use and possibly gain more information about the ships that sank, he added.

The waters off Dongshan are part of the South China Sea and have been strategic military locations throughout history. The spot gained notoriety for its harsh underwater terrain which led to numerous boat accidents.

As a result of those shipwrecks, the area is rich in undersea archaeological resources, said experts in the field. (xinhua)