Lena Shoal

A Ming dynasty junk brought back to the light in 1997 after centuries of silence under the China Sea near the Lena Shoal reef, bears witness to the trade of this period.

Underneath the sediment, the junk’s cargo slowly emerges in its magnificence: Chinese blue and white porcelain, green glazed celadon, and Vietnamese and Thai ceramics.

What happened

It can be assumed that the “Lena” set sail from the port of Guangzhou, China during winter to pick up the north easterly winds to go south. The junk probably passed along the southern Chinese coast, heading to Anam and Siam, possibly Malacca as well. On each leg of the voyage, further consignments were added to her cargo: valuable porcelain, ceramics and stoneware. On her way north towards the Philippines the ship hit a gigantic Taifun. The waves must have been enormous, as this relatively shallow boat was thrown onto a reef, which is in seven meters deep waters.

When in time

The Chinese junk “Lena sank around 1490 during the Ming-Dynasty of the Emperor Hongchi. At this period in time, the seas of the Eastern Hemisphere were dominated by Chinese seafarers, who not only supplied all of South East Asia with their goods, but also had strong trading connections as far as the Middle East and Africa. In fact, China was the first naval trading empire of the world.

Where did it happen

The “Lena” was wrecked on a reef and sank off the island of Busuanga, Philippines, one of about 7,000 islands, reefs and sandbanks in the area. Its position, however, poses a mystery: The wreck was found south of the reef. Could the Lena have in fact used another route, heading from a gigantic trading port in China straight south to the Muslim sultanates in the Philippine archipelago?