Ship history reflects China's maritime evolution

The exhibits in the National Maritime Museum in Tianjin, China vividly showcase the evolution of China's shipbuilding technology and the rich variety of ship type transformations from ancient times to the present day. They unfold the development journey of China's maritime evolution, tracing its path from nascent beginnings to flourishing heights across multiple fronts, including trade expansion, international exchanges and scientific exploration.

China has a long history of ship development. Starting from dugout canoes in ancient times, it went through the wooden plank boats in the Qin and Han dynasties and the technological innovations of sailing ships in the Tang and Song dynasties, reaching the peak of ancient shipbuilding in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Fujian-style ships, ocean-traveling wooden boats built in Fujian Province, even sailed far overseas.

Since modern times, China's shipbuilding industry has been striving to catch up under the impact of Western technologies. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has developed at a rapid pace. From independently building ten-thousand-ton giant ships, to the continuous emergence of high-tech ship equipment such as marine scientific research vessels, polar icebreakers, and deep-sea submersibles today, it has achieved a magnificent transformation.