Shipwreck Site at Baijiao Underwater in Dinghai

Shipwreck Site at Baijiao Underwater in Dinghai

The Shipwreck Site at Baijiao Underwater in Dinghai is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Fujian Province.

Shipwreck Site at Baijiao Underwater in Dinghai

It is located in Dinghai Village, Xiaocheng Town, Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. Since the 1970s, villagers near Dinghai Village have continuously salvaged a large number of cultural relics from the sea areas around islands such as Weizi Islet, Dachengsha, Qingyu, and Baijiao.

In 1990, China’s underwater archaeology conducted its first collaboration with Australia in Dinghai, Lianjiang. Participants from the Australian side included Paul Clark, Jimmy Green, and Serry; while those from the Chinese side included Li Jian’an, Wu Chunming, Lin Guo, and others from the underwater archaeology training class. Over 40 artifacts were unearthed.

From April to June 1995, a joint Sino-Australian underwater archaeology team, consisting of the Underwater Archaeology Research Office of the National Museum of Chinese History and the Archaeology Department of the Western Australian Maritime Museum, officially carried out underwater archaeological surveys and excavations. The survey and excavation resulted in the discovery of more than 1,000 ceramic artifacts, including a large number of black-glazed cups, bluish-white glazed bowls and plates, as well as black-glazed pots. The artifacts were identified as originating from kilns such as the Pukou Kiln in Lianjiang and the Nan’yu Kiln in Minhou.

Of particular importance was the discovery of ship components (keel) and multiple pieces of concretionary remains with marine mollusks attached to the ship. The Shipwreck Site at Baijiao Underwater in Dinghai is a shipwreck site dating back to the Song and Yuan dynasties; it represents the first archaeological achievement of China’s first underwater archaeology team. It provides important physical evidence for the study of overseas trade and ceramic exports during China’s Song and Yuan periods.

Xiaocheng Town: Located at the southern protruding part of the Huangqi Peninsula in Lianjiang County, it faces the Matsu Islands across the sea to the east, borders the Minjiang and Aojiang estuaries to the west, leans against the Da Guanban Reclamation Area to the north, and looks out to the Taiwan Strait to the south. It is 35 square kilometers from the county seat, covers a land area of 32 square kilometers, has a sea area of 135 square kilometers, and includes 43 islands of various sizes. The town governs 11 villages with a population of 29,000. It is a fishing-oriented township primarily engaged in mariculture, nearshore fishing, and aquatic product processing. Dinghai Village within the jurisdiction is a provincial-level historical and cultural village, while Guanwu Village has been designated by the Provincial Science and Technology Department and the Bureau of Ocean and Fisheries as a “Huangqi Peninsula Marine Science and Technology Comprehensive Development Pilot...” More information on Xiaocheng Town++