Xinhua Silk Road: Conference spotlights ancient port site of Maritime Silk Road in Wenzhou

A conference on the recently uncovered ancient port site of Shuomen Ancient Port was recently held in Wenzhou, an eastern coastal city in China, as part of efforts to revive the cultural heritage of the Maritime Silk Road. The event was organised under the guidance of the China Academy of Cultural Heritage, the National Centre for Archaeology, and the cultural‑heritage authority of Zhejiang province, with attendance from experts representing Chinese museums, cities participating in the Maritime Silk Road Heritage Conservation alliance, World Heritage‑nomination candidates, and associated research institutions. During the conference, a new research institute — Wenzhou Institute of Shuomen Ancient Port — was inaugurated, and the existing Wenzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology was formally authorized to share the institute’s name. This marks a significant step for Wenzhou in strengthening local efforts to protect cultural relics tied to the Maritime Silk Road. According to the institute’s director, Liang Yanhua, the new archaeological findings include original coastal remains dating from the Five Dynasties period through the early Northern Song Dynasty — uncovered within more than 1,000 square meters of newly excavated area — filling a major gap in the historical record of the port’s shoreline. Moreover, on the eastern side of the ancient port’s barbican, researchers have now clearly defined the boundaries of outbound roads and residential zones dating from the Southern Song through Ming and Qing dynasties — illustrating how the port and the city were spatially integrated. After two years of excavation work, the team completed surveying and digging around the No. 2 shipwreck at the Shuomen site. The differences between this wreck and ancient ships built in Fujian Province — coupled with its similarity to the previously discovered No. 1 shipwreck — suggest that the vessels may have been constructed at an ancient shipyard in Wenzhou. Taken together, these academic and archaeological breakthroughs offer concrete evidence to reaffirm Wenzhou’s historic role as a key heritage location for the Maritime Silk Road — bolstering efforts to protect local cultural heritage and deepening our understanding of ancient Chinese civilization. #MaritimeSilkRoad #WenzhouHeritage #Archaeology #CulturalPreservation #SlimScan #GrowthStocks #CANSLIM