Friday, August 16, 2024 Macao played host to the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Launch from Greater Bay Area: Nanhai I Shipwreck and the Maritime Silk Road” on August 15. Co-organised by the Development Bureau (DEVB), the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the exhibition features artefacts from the Nanhai I shipwreck, an ancient ocean-going merchant vessel, as well as related items from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The event highlights the pivotal role of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the Maritime Silk Road’s history.
The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Development, Ms. Bernadette Linn; Deputy Director of Art Exhibitions China, Ms. Zhou Yu; President of the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Ms.
Cao Jin; and Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr. Cheang Kai-meng. Nanhai I was a merchant ship from the Southern Song dynasty, salvaged in 2007, and is considered the most complete ancient ocean-going merchant vessel ever discovered through archaeological excavation.
The shipwreck yielded a remarkable collection of artefacts, including porcelain, bronzeware, ironware, gold, silverware, lacquerware, and woodenware. The unique quantities, shapes, and craftsmanship of these items are unparalleled among archaeological finds fr.