On September 12, 1745, many local residents in the coastal city of Gothenburg, Sweden gathered at the port, expecting the arrival of a business ship named “Gothenburg”, the then most advanced barque ship owned by the Swedish Eastern India Company. After countless hardships and dangers through three oceans from March 1743 to September 1745, Gothenburg eventually embarked on its way back to its hometown. However, the ship that brought unparalleled pride to Gothenburg people incredibly sailed into a rock zone when only 900 meters away from the port. Amidst astonishing shouts, this great ship with the full load of oriental treasures slowly sank into the depth of the sea.
Soon after the accident, 30 tons of tea, 80 bolts of silk and a large number of porcelains were savaged from the sunken ship. Only the income obtained from porcelain auctions compensated for the loss of the ship. Over the past 10 years, 9 tons of porcelain fragments, more than 400 pieces of porcelain wares as well as tea, ginger, silk and spice have been discovered and lifted out of the sea.
During the National Day holiday from October 1 to 8, an exhibition on porcelains salvaged from Gothenburg were held in Liulichang, a well-known curio street in the downtown of Beijing, displaying more than 400 Qing-Dynasty celadon and enamel porcelains made for exports.
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