What looks a bit like a welded-together DIY contraption is the Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior). It is on board the research vessel Tansuo-1 in the port of Sanya. The underwater vehicle is far more than meets the eye: It currently assists an archaeological operation. Because two Ming Dynasty shipwrecks have been located at a depth of 1,500 meters in the northwest of the South China Sea. And what does a Ming freighter carry? Vases, of course. The images from wreck number 1 suggest there are over 100,000 porcelain artifacts.