A Blueprint for the Conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Taiwan
Dublin Core
Title
A Blueprint for the Conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Taiwan
Description
Located on an important East Asian shipping route, the island of Taiwan is surrounded by waters containing a large number of underwater artefacts as a result of weather conditions, changes in the current, submerged reefs, war and other human factors. In 2006, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage (BOCH) commissioned the Institute
of History and Philology at Academia Sinica to carry out a survey of underwater cultural heritage. In the ten years since, and with the assistance of scholars from France’s DRASSM, Australia, the United States and Japan, Taiwan has made remarkable progress.
Wherever underwater archaeological sites are found, underwater artefacts are also. In the last ten years, the BOCH has recovered 1,567 items, the vast majority of which are metal and pottery. In addition, parts of wooden boats and vessels of the two World Wars and freighted goods have also been found. Because there is a lack of professional facilities and conservators, half of the recovered objects are still being stored in water.
Taiwan’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, promulgated on 9 December 2015, ensures the protection of Taiwan’s underwater cultural heritage. Item 6 of Article 2 of UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage states that “Recovered underwater cultural heritage shall be deposited, conserved and managed in a manner that ensures its long-term preservation.”
In order to enhance the safety of artefacts once they are out of the water, and to provide comprehensive information about the restored artefacts, it is necessary to plan in advance and proceed carefully. In the next ten years, we need to train more professional conservation and restoration personnel and to expand the necessary facilities into a complete system for the handling of underwater archaeology—including a series of tasks such as surveying, verification, monitoring, exploration, conservation and restoration, research, educational exhibition and promotional publication. Conserving recovered underwater artefacts is also an important task for underwater archaeology.
A complete plan is needed before undertaking an underwater archaeological project, encompassing the conservation, registration and recording of submerged objects and the restoration, research and storage of recovered objects. We need to train conservation and restoration personnel, set up conservation and restoration facilities, equipment and laboratories for recovered artefacts, and all documentation regarding underwater cultural heritage must be centrally administered and kept in good condition at the data center. A data system should also be set up for use by researchers and the general public. If recovered artefacts are to retain their full cultural and historical value, their conservation must be carried out by professional personnel in a way that retains all their historical information and “make the artefact talk”.
of History and Philology at Academia Sinica to carry out a survey of underwater cultural heritage. In the ten years since, and with the assistance of scholars from France’s DRASSM, Australia, the United States and Japan, Taiwan has made remarkable progress.
Wherever underwater archaeological sites are found, underwater artefacts are also. In the last ten years, the BOCH has recovered 1,567 items, the vast majority of which are metal and pottery. In addition, parts of wooden boats and vessels of the two World Wars and freighted goods have also been found. Because there is a lack of professional facilities and conservators, half of the recovered objects are still being stored in water.
Taiwan’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, promulgated on 9 December 2015, ensures the protection of Taiwan’s underwater cultural heritage. Item 6 of Article 2 of UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage states that “Recovered underwater cultural heritage shall be deposited, conserved and managed in a manner that ensures its long-term preservation.”
In order to enhance the safety of artefacts once they are out of the water, and to provide comprehensive information about the restored artefacts, it is necessary to plan in advance and proceed carefully. In the next ten years, we need to train more professional conservation and restoration personnel and to expand the necessary facilities into a complete system for the handling of underwater archaeology—including a series of tasks such as surveying, verification, monitoring, exploration, conservation and restoration, research, educational exhibition and promotional publication. Conserving recovered underwater artefacts is also an important task for underwater archaeology.
A complete plan is needed before undertaking an underwater archaeological project, encompassing the conservation, registration and recording of submerged objects and the restoration, research and storage of recovered objects. We need to train conservation and restoration personnel, set up conservation and restoration facilities, equipment and laboratories for recovered artefacts, and all documentation regarding underwater cultural heritage must be centrally administered and kept in good condition at the data center. A data system should also be set up for use by researchers and the general public. If recovered artefacts are to retain their full cultural and historical value, their conservation must be carried out by professional personnel in a way that retains all their historical information and “make the artefact talk”.
Creator
Dr. Ying-Ying Tung
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2017
Rights
Dr. Ying-Ying Tung (
Language
English
Files
Citation
Dr. Ying-Ying Tung, “A Blueprint for the Conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Taiwan,” APCONF-MUCH Proceedings Recently Added Items, accessed October 24, 2026, https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/items/show/509.