The Nanhai No. 1 was a Chinese merchant ship dating from the Southern Song dynasty that sank off the South Chinese coast between 1127 and 1279. It was discovered in 1987 and in 2007, it was recovered, with the entire wreck encased in a steel container and transported to the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum.

Here, in a specially designed glass-covered saltwater chamber, archaeologists have been able to ‘excavate’ the wreck in a controlled environment, uncovering more than 60,000 artifacts – primarily porcelain from kilns in areas such as Jingdezhen, Dehua, Cizao and Longquan. Visitors to the museum can watch the archaeologists at work from a raised platform overlooking the tank.

Now discover the incredible stories of history's most tragic ships...

Amazing artefacts found on shipwrecks