On the evening of February 1, 2024, CCTV documentary channel CCTV9 broadcasts Episode 4: Out of the Water, documenting the underwater archaeology team's excavation of a Yuan Dynasty shipwreck on the Holy Grail Island in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, unveiling the mystery of the ancient figures and their history for the audience.
The excavation site of the Yuan Dynasty shipwreck is located in the sea area of Holy Grail Island, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, which is at the intersection of the ancient maritime silk road's southern and eastern ocean routes. Porcelain as the most important output products of the ancient maritime silk road, in the Yuan dynasty more open trade pattern, to prosper. Yuegang, for example, through Zhangzhou dispersed to 47 countries and regions in the East and West Oceans.
There is a consensus in the international field of underwater archaeology that underwater remains should be protected by "in situ conservation". However, since the discovery of the Yuan Dynasty shipwreck on Grail Island by fishermen in October 2010, there have been a number of attempts by salvagers to excavate the shipwreck's treasures. So it has become a race against time between heritage protectors and heritage salvagers.
In order to prevent the destruction of the site, in September 2022, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage approved the underwater archaeological excavation of the Grail Island shipwreck.
However, the complex water conditions and the unknown water environment bring many risks and challenges to divers. Underwater archaeology is difficult and dangerous, and each time in the water is precious time, how to safely and efficiently carry out underwater excavation, not only a testing about technology, but also a testing about equipment.
When in Underwater operations, the surface personnel need to understand the diver's position changes, while the diver to maintain a good sense of direction is extremely important thing. So the underwater archaeological divers equipped with advanced underwater communication and navigation system, to build 3D underwater positioning communication wireless network, effectively solve the problem of real-time underwater positioning and communication. The underwater communication and navigation system not only helps the surface personnel to carry out command and management, but also assists the divers to carry out position marking, information feedback and respond to a variety of underwater situations, providing reliable support and guarantee for underwater operations.A small episode in this documentary reveals the importance of location in underwater archaeological activities.
Before the underwater archaeology team entered the water, they found that the entry buoy was missing. Grail Island shipwreck excavation project leader - the State Administration of Cultural Heritage Archaeological Research Center of the Institute of Underwater Archaeology, deputy director of the Liang Guoqing said: "people in the water is weightless, and there is not too good sense of direction, plus the middle of the current factors affecting the depth of more than 30 meters, If you are not guided by the water rope, you may have deviated from the coordinates of your water surface to a very far position underwater.’
Under the unremitting efforts of the underwater archaeology team, the shipwreck excavation and salvage work has made great progress. After the porcelain analysis and determination, the porcelain and the late Yuan Dynasty Zhejiang Longquan kiln export porcelain highly consistent.
Underwater archaeology divers have unearthed not only the artifacts, but also the story behind the artifacts.
As stated in the movie, "The ship, in fact, is a museum."
Explore ancient shipwrecks, expect romantic encounters, and discover the unfinished stories of shipwrecks. The underwater archaeologists will restore the history for you one by one through meticulous excavation, presenting the ancient customs.
CCTV9 "Live Story" Episode 4: Out of the Water invites you to see this legendary story sealed under the sea.