A bowl from the Nanhai I wreck Photo: Courtesy of NCHA

China's National Culture Heritage Administration (NCHA) announced two important archaeological achievements at a conference on Tuesday.

According to the conference, the Nanhai I, a Song Dynasty (420-479) shipwreck discovered off the coast of South China's Guangdong Province in 1987, has been named the best-preserved ancient shipwreck in China. 

With a length of 22.95 meters and a width of 9.85 meters, the shipwreck's hull remains relatively intact. 

The archaeological team has recovered more than 180,000 cultural relics from the wreck, demonstrating the prosperous overseas trade system that existed in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). 

Archaeological work on the Nanhai I has lasted for more than 30 years. 

It has bore witness to a number of developmental leaps in underwater archaeology in China. 

The authority also announced that excavation has been completed at Zeng State Tomb Complex, a burial site for a nobleman of the Zeng State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). 

A total of 54 earthen burial pits and three horse pits have been unearthed at the tomb in Suizhou, Central China's Hubei Province. 

The excavation has provided valuable insight into the exploration of the formation and development of Chinese civilization.