Diving deeper into the past

In 2007, Nanhai No 1 was successfully extracted from water and moved into a purpose-built aquarium at the museum.

It has now been 34 years since Nanhai No 1 was discovered.

"Nanhai No 1 set a record in underwater archaeological history, as it was the first wreck of its kind to be refloated in its entirety in the world," Cui says.

"The 15 cabins were preserved quite well. It was the right decision to move it to the land. All the information on the ship is complete."

More than 180,000 artifacts were pulled from the water, including gold accessories, fine porcelain, silver ingots weighing more than 300 kilograms, and samples of food.

"Through these artifacts, you can see what food those on board ate and the hierarchy of the crew," Cui says. "The shipwreck itself is also valuable because it tells us a lot about the sailing and shipbuilding technology of the time."

Nanhai No 1 remains the oldest, largest and best preserved commercial shipwreck in the world that has been recovered from the sea.

The construction of the museum also became pivotal in driving the economic development of the city of Yangjiang, which Hailing Island is a part of. More than 800,000 visitors visited the museum in 2019, nearly triple the number that had been expected.

Cui, 59, will retire next year, with much of his career having been closely connected with Nanhai No 1.

"The excavation work is almost done, and the next plan is to preserve and protect the ship," he says.

China's coastline stretches out more than 18,000 kilometers, and the more shipwrecks are discovered, the more we learn about the maritime Silk Road.

Being involved in investigating a newly found wreck is the stuff of all underwater archaeologists' dreams, Cui says.