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Ancient 500-year-old shipwreck filled with porcelain treasure found in South China Sea (VIDEO)
A massive haul of priceless blue-and-white porcelains, celadons and green glaze ceramics were found on site — Picture courtesy of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — A groundbreaking deep-sea investigation by China has officially begun on two Ming-era (1368-1644) shipwrecks found thousands of metres under the South China Sea.

High-tech research vessels and submersibles will be launched in three phases to collect data from relatively well-preserved wrecks that stunned the world when it was first discovered in October last year.

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State-of-the-art robotics have also been used to safely salvage the relics from a large underwater site of 1,500 metres below sea level, a world first in marine archaeology.

Over 100,000 relics of historical, scientific and artistic value have already been uncovered, marking a milestone in deep sea archaeology, reported Global Times.

The two ships, one laden with porcelain and one with timber, are of similar age and lie about 10 nautical miles (18.52 kilometres) apart.

This is the first time that China has discovered two ancient vessels, one leaving and the other returning, in the same area, which demonstrate the importance of the sea route and booming trade of the time.

The timber found in one of the ships have confirmed historical accounts that in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, China often imported timber from Southeast Asia for construction of buildings and palaces.

Processed wooden logs neatly stacked 500 years ago were also found — Picture courtesy of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration

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