AS researcher promotes undersea archaeology

2015-03-10

Stronger private and public sector support for undersea cultural exploration in Taiwan is a must if the country is to preserve its unique maritime heritage, according to a researcher from Taipei City-based Academia Sinica.

“It is critical to boost development of the field and protect cultural assets through measures like awareness promotion events, legislation and talent cultivation,” AS Academician Tsang Cheng-hwa said Feb. 25.

“Countries such as Italy, South Korea and the U.K. have set up related museums or implemented laws to preserve their underwater treasures. Taiwan has enormous ocean resources and should waste no time in following suit.”

According to Tsang, who belongs to the AS Institute of History and Philology, the waters around Dongsha and Green islands, as well as outlying Penghu County, are deep sea cultural museums.

“A total of 78 ships have been discovered in these waters by the institute’s 20-member exploration team under a cooperative project with the Ministry of Culture launched in 2006,” he said. “These include Guangbing, a Qing dynasty [1644-1911] cruiser sunk during the First Sino-Japanese War [1894-1895], and a British steamboat carrying a group of cricketers shipwrecked in 1892.”

With 20 years of advocating and researching underwater archaeology in Taiwan under his belt, Tsang believes it is high time the government enacts 2014’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Preservation bill. “This initiative must be put in place so as to prevent our nation’s artifacts from theft or damage,” he said.

At the same time, Tsang feels it is equally important to utilize private sector resources in developing related educational activities and talent cultivation programs. “The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in 2001 encourages the conservation and public display of such relics of the deep,” he said, adding that Taiwan must play its part in this endeavor.

“I am confident the number of cultural remains discovered and safeguarded for future generations around Taiwan will rise significantly through ongoing preservation initiatives.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=228069&CtNode=413)