ROME, July 12 (Xinhua) -- When archaeologists descended to the seabed on the northwestern slope of the South China Sea during their 2023 and 2024 missions, they were astonished by the neatly arranged and vast number of porcelain artefacts lying in silence beneath the waves.

"It was like uncovering a time capsule," Xin Lixue, director of the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, said, sharing with Xinhua the anecdotes of that discovery.

Since September last year, the museum has hosted a special exhibition titled Deep Blue Marvels, showcasing selected artifacts recovered from the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwrecks discovered on the sea's northwestern slope.

According to Xin, more than one million visitors have viewed the exhibition, which features over 400 relics and offers a rare glimpse into deep-ocean archaeology and the historical exchanges along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

The No. 1 shipwreck yielded primarily porcelain items, including blue-and-white, celadon, and white glaze wares. Most pieces, based on their shapes and decorative patterns, are believed to date back to the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), reflecting the high level of porcelain craftsmanship and the flourishing maritime trade of mid-Ming China.

"Porcelain from Jingdezhen has been connected to the world since the Renaissance," said Weng Yanjun, director of the Imperial Kiln Museum in Jingdezhen.

One notable example is found in the famous Italian painting The Feast of the Gods, where three blue-and-white porcelain dishes from Jingdezhen are prominently placed in the central positions, serving as important decorative elements.

According to Weng, similar porcelain wares from the same period have been discovered in the South China Sea shipwrecks, providing further evidence of long-distance cross-cultural exchanges. The wrecks lie along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, which connected the West and China through trade and people-to-people contact.

"At the time, Europeans were eager to learn the techniques behind Chinese porcelain - especially the making of blue-and-white ware," explained Monica Gass, vice president of the Geneva-based International Academy of Ceramics. "In the process of studying and imitating them, Western artists gradually absorbed Chinese artistic styles and cultural elements, which is a vivid reflection of mutual cultural exchange," she added.

"These blue-and-white wares not only adorned mythological feasts but also witnessed real cultural encounters and exchanges," Weng said.

Porcelain continues to bridge civilizational dialogue between China and Italy in modern times.

In early June, the cities of Jingdezhen and Faenza, Italy's renowned city for ceramics, renewed their cooperation agreement, further strengthening collaboration through artist residencies, international ceramic prizes, and other initiatives.

According to Xin, China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Italy's National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, through which the two institutions will collaborate on academic exchanges, exhibitions, and related activities.

"Chinese porcelain not only carries the unique cultural elements of China - its global dissemination is itself an epic of cultural exchange," said Marta Leonori, head of institutional affairs at Italy's Treccani Encyclopedia Institute.

"Thanks to the constant efforts of cultural institutions and experts from China and Italy, the long-standing dialogue between the two civilizations is being revitalized in the new era," she added. ■