No. 237 Maritime Archaeology in the People's Republic of China ...

Pieces of hawse wire found on the site may have come
from dredging activity. The remains of octopus pots and a stone
weight attributed to fishing use indicate further activities on
and around the site. A group of hookah divers were observed
in 1995 collecting sea urchins around Bai Jiao.
A dynamite fisherman was seen to be working alongside
the rocks very close to the site. The shock waves that result
from this activity fracture stone and ceramic material. Direct
evidence of this was not discovered but this activity may have
contributed to the general destruction of the site over more
recent years.
ex P o S e d a rt e fa C t S
ir o n C o n C r e t i o n S
The concretions are coherent masses believed to have originally
comprised of iron billets (approximately 300 mm long each).
A sample of the concretion revealed a dense grey formation
with an external layer approximately 20 mm thick which
adjoined the iron oxide stained interior. An electrochemical
examination of the concretions would ascertain whether or
not any iron remains and if raising the concretion may be
considered worthwhile.
A small concretion with a number of bowls attached was
recovered from the site. This should be x-radiographed to
determine the shape of the original iron object and to ascertain
if residual metal is present.
Sh i P S t i m b e r
The baulk of timber appears to be in sound condition although
degraded and softened by immersion. Teredo worm damage
was limited to some outer fragmentary pieces which were
probably exposed to the sand sediments overlying the viscous
mud in which the remainder of the timber was buried. No
active teredo was seen. A sample of the wood was collected
for species identification. On separation into smaller pieces a
5 mm rectangular hole was discovered apparently a nail hole.
A formation of crystals found within the hole will be analysed.
The presence of an iron concretion on the upper surface of
the timber may indicate the presence of an iron fastening. It
was impossible to re-bury the baulk of timber in the viscous
mud after excavation (it was buried in rocks and sand) so it
is likely that it will deteriorate quickly.
wo o d f r a G m e n t S
A sample of thin wood or cane which appeared to be twisted
to form the strands of a heavy rope was collected for species
identification. It is usually difficult to identify pieces of a plant
which are part of the new or juvenile growth.
Ce r a m i C S
The ceramic material is very well preserved, many bowls
remaining intact. In some instances the glazes appear to have
lost some of the original lustre. Some crazing of the glaze was
noticed and this may have been a consequence of the original
firing or attributed to immersion factors and/or dynamite
fishing. Sherds of the bowls were sampled for analysis and
porosity tests. The only jar discovered on the site was cracked
on one side. It possessed no original contents only grey mud,
shell grit and three pieces of fragmented bowls.
Interpretation and site formation processes
The site can be described as disturbed although there are several
Figure 112. A black bowls showing growth of barnacles (CHI/
BJ1/O/54).
features that give some cohesion to the remains. Certainly,
the shell dredging operations in the area have impacted on
the remains in the recent past. The 1990 expedition to the
site reported large holes on the surface of the site, as a result
of dredging work.
The concretions and timber, and bamboo rope confirm
that this site is indeed the wreck of a ship. The position of
the site below the reef indicates that the cause of wrecking
was probably having struck the reef. As the 1990 excavation
report concludes:
There is not any natural defence in the southern sea of Dinghai
to protect navigation from violent wind. The monsoon from the
south-east gets to Dinghai in the summer and autumn. Then
there are usually violent wind and wave and the boats in Dinghai
should be changed to Huanqi Bay and other harbours to take
shelter from the winds. If the typhoon is coming, the wind and
wave could be much more violent and there are so many small
island and reef around Dinghai, causing the navigation in the
area to be very dangerous.
So we can infer that the No. 1 shipwreck of Bai Jiao should have
been shifted by violent wind and struck the Bai Jiao reefs when
it docked and transported goods in Dinghai without any antiwind
measures in time, or struck the reef suddenly on encountering the
wind and wave on the navigation (Yu Wei Chao et al., 1992).
The discovery in 1990 of the Bai Jiao 2 wreck site
(tentatively dated to the Ming Dynasty period) on the northern
side of Bai Jiao suggests that the reef was an eventful location
for shipwrecks in historical times.
The distribution of the artefacts on the site is of interest
because it not only provides information as to the trade in
ceramics and the loading of the ship but also suggests how
the vessel was broken up and disintegrated.
The distinct shape and location of the concretions together
with the stacks of bowls found in different sections of the
wreck site could suggest compartments or holds for specific
cargo items. The exact nature of the iron objects that formed
the concretions was not ascertained, although it was suggested
that these could have iron bars or ingots. Ceramic material was
found protruding from the surface and undersides of these. It
would seem likely that the bowls settled into this position after
the shipwreck during the wreck formation process, moving
from adjacent compartments.
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