More about the ancient sunken ship from the Yuan Dynasty - III - 12 May 2010

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The relics brought up from a sunken vessel in Heze of east China's Shandong province have caused quite a stir in archeological circles.
Of the 117 unearthed pieces, 45 have been classified, while the rest are still being scrutinized.
This porcelain piece, broken into two parts when discovered, didn't catch much attention from archeologists. They were later shocked to learn of its priceless status.
Kong Fansheng, Archeologist, said, "A postdoctoral researcher who's well versed in porcelain study came to us from Beijing. I asked him to take a look at a porcelain piece we have here. After scrutinizing it, he said it would be a marvelous piece once it's repaired.'"
According to the expert, the item was produced in Geyao, one of the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. Pieces made in the Geyao Kiln are distinguished for their unique crackle glaze and the crystal-like sound when struck.
So far there are only around one hundred Geyao porcelains known to have survived, far less than the number of blue and white porcelain crafted in the Yuan dynasty, existing in the world today.
The porcelain brought up from the sunken ship include those fired in the five famous kilns of the Song and Yuan dynasties. They were the kilns in Jingdezhen, Geyao, Longquan, Junyao and Ciyao.
Six porcelains created in the Longquan Kiln of the Yuan Dynasty are stunningly intact, and still shine with their jade-like perfection and nuanced glaze colors. Experts say at least three pieces of the six can be rated as the nation's first class relics.
The jar from Ciyao kiln in the Yuan dynasty with dragon and phoenix patterns is another highlight of the salvaged relics.
Apart from porcelain, there are also jadeware, lacquer wares, ceramics, and stone carvings among the findings.These sculptures carved from Shoushan stone from Fujian province are the earliest Shoushan stone sculpture found in China from the Ming to Yuan dynasty.
Archeologists have described the Heze sunken vessel as a treasure ship, from both the volume and quality seen in the salvaged relics.
The local government of Shandong will apply to have the discovery listed as one of the ten major archeological discoveries in China in 2010.

Source: CCTV