海贸遗珠——唐长沙窑瓷器

In 1998, a Javanese fisherman who planned to collect sea cucumbers in the waters off Belitung Island, Indonesia, accidentally came across some ceramic items, thus leading to the uncovering of a shipwreck sunken for more than 1,200 years.

1998年，一位印尼爪哇渔民在印尼勿里洞岛海域准备采集海参时，意外发现了一些陶瓷制品，由此揭开了一艘沉没超过1200年沉船的面纱。

This dramatic discovery was just the beginning of a tale of lost treasures reclaimed. The shipwreck was found to contain more than 56,000 Changsha ware, providing a glimpse into the ancient global trade between the Arab world and China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a period of China's imperial era renowned for its flourishing culture.

这一惊人的发现仅仅是一段珍宝遗珠传奇故事的开端。在这艘沉船上，人们发现了56,000余件长沙窑瓷器，窥见了一场繁华盛唐时期中国与阿拉伯世界之间的古代版全球贸易。

It was the continuous warfare during mid-to-late Tang Dynasty in the northern area of the empire that first led craftsmen to migrate southward to the verdant Changsha region, bringing with them the latest ceramic production techniques. Fired in the Tongguan Kilns on the outskirts of the commercial hub of Changsha, the Changsha ware industry thrived for over 200 years through the 8th and 9th centuries. Connected with major sea ports through a network of waterways, the Kilns has enabled the exports of its products to East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and North Africa. The heavy and fragile ceramics, unsuitable for large-scale long-distance land transportation, found a new way for exports, propelling the emergence of the maritime ceramics road.

受中晚唐时期北部地区战乱影响，唐王朝窑工南迁至湖南湘江边的葱郁山林，也给这里带来了最新的陶瓷生产技术。由此，远在城市商贸中心郊外铜官窑的长沙瓷器产业，迎来了自己在公元8世纪至9世纪为期200多年的辉煌时期。通过水路与主要海港相连，长沙窑其产品能够出口到东亚、东南亚、南亚、西亚和北非。沉重易碎、不适合大规模长途陆路运输的陶瓷，因此找到了新的出口途径，推动了海上陶瓷之路的兴起。

Watch the video to catch a glimpse into a historically prosperous period of maritime trade.

观看视频，去探寻那段海上贸易的风雨与繁荣。