The Nanhai One, (South China Sea No. 1) is a Chinese merchant ship that sank during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 CE), possibly due to a storm.
It was found in the South Sea in 1987 by a British maritime exploration team while searching for the wreck of the 18th-century ship, Rhynsburg. Not only is it the largest ship of its kind ever discovered, but was also the first to be uncovered on the Maritime Silk Road.
Reportedly there are still over 80,000 items on board. Its treasures include ceramic vessels, bronze coins, and silver bars. Archeologists began to raise the ship in 2007 and moved the vessel to Yangjiang. There, the Maritime Silk Road Museum was constructed to accommodate the ship and its artifacts. It contains a seawater pool called the “Crystal Palace” where the wreck of the Nanhai One, still covered in silt, is still being excavated. Visitors can watch the process through windows on either side of the pool.
