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Archaeologists found 3.8 tons of Chinese ceramics at the bottom of the Singapore Strait — and discovered that the city-state was already a thriving commercial hub 500 years before being colonized
When divers descended to the bottom of the murky waters of the Singapore Strait, they didn’t expect to find what they did. There, scattered across the seabed, were thousands of fragments of fine porcelain — bowls decorated with lotus flowers, birds, and geometric patterns in blue and white.
According to research published by Archaeology Magazine in February 2026, the Temasek shipwreck is the first ancient vessel ever discovered in Singaporean waters. The ship, dated between 1340 and 1352, sank during China’s Yuan Dynasty carrying a commercial cargo of extraordinary value.
In total, excavations recovered approximately 3.8 tons of Chinese ceramic fragments and vessels. Among them, over 2,350 fragments of blue and white porcelain — the largest collection ever salvaged from a shipwreck worldwide.
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The world’s largest collection of Yuan blue and white porcelain — found by chance
Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain is one of the rarest and most valuable ceramics in Chinese history. Produced in the kilns of Jingdezhen, in southern China, it was intended for the elite and sophisticated markets in Southeast Asia.
The more than 2,350 fragments recovered from the Temasek shipwreck weigh 136 kilograms and represent at least 300 decorated bowls with lotus, bird, and flower motifs.
“The Temasek shipwreck carried more Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain than any other documented shipwreck in the world,” stated Michael Flecker, lead researcher for the project at HeritageSG, a subsidiary of the Singapore National Heritage Board.
In addition to the blue and white pieces, the cargo included Longquan celadon — which accounted for 44.5% of the total weight of the ceramics —, qingbai and shufu pieces from Jingdezhen, white ceramics from Dehua, and storage jars from Cizao.
A ship that departed from Quanzhou almost 700 years ago and never reached its destination
Although no part of the wooden hull survived the centuries, circumstantial evidence points to a Chinese junk — a traditional flat-bottomed vessel used on Asian trade routes.
According to Flecker, the ship likely departed from the port of Quanzhou, in Fujian province, loaded with ceramics from different kilns in southern China. The destination was the port of Temasek — the ancient name for Singapore.
Dating was established based on stylistic analysis of the porcelains. Yuan blue and white pieces began to be produced in the late 1320s. The Jingdezhen kilns suffered interruptions in the 1350s due to civil wars.
This places the shipwreck in a precise window: between 1340 and 1352, during the peak of Yuan Dynasty maritime trade.
Singapore was already prosperous 500 years before the British
The discovery of the shipwreck rewrites an important chapter in Singapore’s history. For decades, the dominant narrative stated that the city-state only gained commercial relevance after the arrival of the British in 1819.
But the 3.8 tons of Chinese ceramics at the bottom of the strait tell a different story.
Temasek was already an active commercial hub in the 14th century, connecting the kilns of southern China to markets in Southeast Asia. The diversity of the cargo — with luxury items for elites and common jars for everyday goods — confirms sophisticated and diversified trade.
Land excavations at Fort Canning and along the Singapore River had already found Yuan ceramics, glass beads, and gold objects from distant regions. The Temasek shipwreck provides the first direct evidence of a ship delivering cargo to the port.
Four years underwater: how archaeologists rescued a 700-year-old treasure
The excavations were conducted by HeritageSG between 2016 and 2019, under the leadership of Michael Flecker. Divers faced near-zero visibility in the murky waters of the Singapore Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
The work required centimeter-by-centimeter mapping of the seabed, with each fragment cataloged, photographed, and georeferenced before being removed.
Despite four years of effort, archaeologists managed to recover only a fraction of what may still be buried under the sediment.
A cargo that reveals how the Maritime Silk Road functioned
The diversity of the ceramics on board tells the story of a complex trade network.
The pieces did not come from a single kiln. They were collected in different cities in southern China — Jingdezhen, Longquan, Dehua, Cizao — and shipped together from the port of Quanzhou.
- Longquan Celadon — 44.5% of total weight, green ceramic intended for broad markets
- Yuan blue and white porcelain — luxury items for elites, over 300 decorated bowls
- Dehua white ceramics — mass production for everyday use
- Cizao and Fujian jars — containers for transporting spices, oils, or beverages
This mix of luxury and utility shows that the Maritime Silk Road was not just for the elite. Common and rare goods traveled on the same ship.
What we still don’t know about the Temasek shipwreck
Despite the importance of the discovery, several questions remain unanswered.
Without a preserved hull, it is not possible to definitively confirm the type of vessel. Identification as a Chinese junk is based on circumstantial evidence — cargo pattern and probable route.
The cause of the shipwreck is also unknown. Tropical storms, structural failures, or pirate attacks are possibilities, but no direct evidence points to any of them.
The variation in reported weights — 3.5 to 3.8 tons depending on the source — suggests that measurement methods are still being refined.
Finally, dating based on ceramic style, although accepted by the archaeological community, does not have the precision of methods like carbon-14.
Still, for a country that has always seen itself as a modern creation, having 3.8 tons of 700-year-old porcelain at the bottom of its own waters changes how Singapore views its own history. Are there more ships waiting to be found?
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