Archaeologists recently released findings from deep-sea excavations in the South China Sea, alongside the advanced technologies that made them possible—and the results are impressive.

In October 2022, China's deep-sea submersible “Deep Sea Warrior” discovered a large ancient shipwreck site at a depth of 1,500 meters on the northwestern slope of the South China Sea—the first such find in China's deep waters. The “Deep Sea Warrior” has broken through these depth barriers, granting archaeologists access to the 1,500-meter abyss. Equipped with side-scan sonar, a long-baseline acoustic positioning system, and 3D photogrammetric modeling, it enables precise mapping and comprehensive recording of wreck sites, laying a solid groundwork for research and bringing China's deep-sea archaeology to the global forefront.

Both wrecks have been identified as Ming Dynasty merchant vessels, sunk between 1488 and 1521. One was carrying a cargo of Jingdezhen porcelain, en route from the Guangdong coast to the Malacca Straits; the other was laden with Indian Ocean ebony on its return trip to China. Together, they offer tangible evidence of two-way trade along the Ming-era maritime Silk Road and provide invaluable material for studying overseas trade and cross-cultural interactions during that period.