Underwater archaeology pioneer
Little more than a decade has passed since Taiwan began devoting national resources to underwater archaeology. Archaeologist Tsang Cheng-hwa, an academician of Academia Sinica, has been a key figure behind the development of the field.
“The seabed is like a giant museum,” Tsang says. “The importance of these cultural relics and the cultural landscapes they span are not inferior to what can be found on land, and are perhaps even superior in some ways.” Since these sunken ships, airplanes, ruins, and fossil remains have been sealed off for many years, they often contain rich historical information about shipbuilding, commercial trade, crafts, and significant events, and thus are valuable cultural assets for all humankind.
Tsang first encountered the field of underwater archaeology while studying archaeology at Harvard. “I found it intriguing at the time, and I felt that Taiwan should have it, too.” Tsang adds that the vast areas of sea around Taiwan—some of which were land 12,000 years ago, linking Taiwan with the Eurasian mainland—later became important waterways along the ancient Silk Road sea routes and during the Age of Discovery. This, combined with difficult passage through the Taiwan Strait due to rapid ocean currents and numerous submerged reefs, makes it easy to imagine that there are many underwater artifacts waiting to be discovered here. Since returning to Taiwan from the States, Tsang has championed the importance of developing underwater archaeology in Taiwan.
In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH Convention), clearly defining the types of underwater archaeological assets, their value, and how they are to be protected. In harmony with this mission, Taiwan’s Executive Yuan published the National Ocean Policy Guidelines in 2004. The same year, Tsang was commissioned by the Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture) to organize a specialized underwater archaeology team.
The well-trained team has experts in fields such as archaeology, marine technology and artifact conservation.