Secrets of the Tang Treasure Ship

Before metal, there was wood, and this is what sailors used to traverse (rather unsuccessfully) the raging seas in the 9th century. In 1998, a shipwreck from that era was found laden with gold, silver and ceramic items that are now kept in a highsecurity storage in Singapore. Travel in high definition to the place where the wreck was found, and see how the items found onboard are used to piece together a vivid picture of Tang-dynasty China. The programme will also re-create the last few days of the ship’s journey before it finally met its watery grave in the Straits of Indonesia.

National Geographic HD, Channel 301