via China Daily, 11 July 2024: Video story on Changsha ware from the Tang Dynasty, focusing on the 56,000 pieces found in the Belitung Shipwreck. This find highlights ancient maritime trade between China and the Arab world, showcasing Changsha’s flourishing ceramic industry and its global exports during the 8th and 9th centuries.
In 1998, a Javanese fisherman who planned to collect sea cucumbers in the waters off Belitung Island, Indonesia, accidentally came across some ceramic items, thus leading to the uncovering of a shipwreck sunken for more than 1,200 years.
This dramatic discovery was just the beginning of a tale of lost treasures reclaimed. The shipwreck was found to contain more than 56,000 Changsha ware, providing a glimpse into the ancient global trade between the Arab world and China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a period of China’s imperial era renowned for its flourishing culture.
Source: A lost pearl of maritime trade: Changsha ware in the Tang Dynasty – Chinadaily.com.cn
