Jottings from the Granite Studio

I’ve been following the ongoing project to raise the Southern Song dynasty shipwreck known as Nanhai I from its watery internment off the coast of Guangdong. Not only is the ship itself a fascinating subject for study, but the wreck contains a literal treasure trove of 13th century artifacts. The People’s Daily calculates (somewhat optimistically) a total value of $100 billion. (Do they mean RMB? Even so…) Even if that figure is too high, the quanity of cargo still onboard the ship has attracted attention from around the world. China’s maritime wrecks are routinely plundered, so much so that the government has taken the unusual step of deploying the Chinese navy on “artifact patrol.” Beijing is doing whatever it can to make sure that the resurfacing of the Nanhai I is indeed a ‘peaceful rise.’

According to the People’s Daily, Guangdong provincial officials are busy this week denying rumors that the hard work of the research team will benefit only Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Reports circulated last week that artifacts from the ship had already made their way to European auction houses. One Guangdong cultural official called it a “false report” and the director of the provincial archaeological institute was quoted as saying, “National treasures are not allowed to be put up for public sale, and so far all of the relics recovered from the ship have been properly protected.”

Selling that line will be much harder than unloading any artifacts that do make it out of the research site. It’s a sign of the times in China…to get rich is, after all, glorious. I hope that the artifacts stay at the institute where they can be properly studied and then displayed for all to see. But I won’t be shocked if I start seeing Nanhai I artifacts (or facsimiles) on the auction block sooner rather than later.

Sadly, another piece of China’s maritime history was severely damaged by fire last week. The tea clipper Cutty Sark, built in 1869, was engulfed by flames at its dock in Greenwich, England. Supervisors at the site feel, however, that the ship can be saved.