Ancient China shipwreck unveils insights into Song-era smuggling and government apathy

[Grim Reaper 6]

Over 1,000 years ago, a ship left port in Guangzhou in southern China weighed down with a fortune of raw materials fit for a small nation.

This Song dynasty (960-1279) trade vessel would not make it far, sinking to the bottom of the ocean near the coast of Taishan in Guangdong province, where it would remain untouched until 1987.

The core revelation from the shipwreck is that it was weighed down with a large amount of metal cargo, indicating that the Nanhai No 1 was probably involved in a significant smuggling operation, which the team of scientists from Guangzhou University said was extremely common during that era.

“Despite repeated government bans, smuggling of metal goods continued throughout the Song dynasty, with no significant reduction in the scale of the metal trade...highlighting the inadequacy of government control over illegal smuggling activities,” wrote the authors..

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3273060/ancient-china-shipwreck-unveils-insights-song-era-smuggling-and-government-apathy