
(Special Exhibition) Secrets of Sea, The Tang Shipwreck
- Period
- 2018.12.11~2018.03.17
- Place
- Mokpo National Maritime Museum(Special Exhibition Hall)
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Secrets of the Sea: The Tang Shipwreck is a special exhibition introducing the story of the first wreck of an Arabian dhow discovered in Asia. It is co-organized by the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage (NRIMCH) from the Republic of Korea and the Asian Civilisations Museum, an instutaion of the National the Heritage Board, Republic of Singapore. In 1998, an ancient shipwreck was found off the coast of the Indonesian island of Belitung. Its cargo identified the wreck as an Arab trading vessel dating back to the ninth century. The cargo consisted of some 60,000 pieces of Chinese ceramics along with non-ceramic items such as a number of lead ingots, silver and gold vessels, bronze mirrors, storage jars filled with spices, and more. This wrecked dhow delivers to us today a rich story of the Maritime Silk Road, an extensive network of ocean trade that flourished between the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, West Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. This exhibition invites audiences to experience this ancient maritime silk road across Asia that prospered 1200years ago and discover the secrets and splendor of the Chinese trade goods of the time. These objects are from the Khoo Teck Puat Gallery, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore. The Tang Shipwreck Collection was made possible by the generous donation of the Estate of Khoo Teck Puat in honour of the Late Khoo Teck Puat.