Wreck of the Tek Sing in the South China Sea

Background. The Tek Sing was a large three-masted Chinese ocean-going junk. In 1822, it sailed from the port of Amoy, now Xiamen in Fujian, China, bound for Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. The ship was laden with a large cargo of porcelain goods and carried 1,600 Chinese immigrants, reflecting the scale of migration and trade in the South China Sea during this period.

Disaster. On 6 February 1822, the Tek Sing sank in an area of the South China Sea known as the Belvedere Shoals. The catastrophe took about 1,500 people, mostly Chinese immigrants, to the bottom of the sea. This event is considered one of the biggest catastrophes in the history of seafaring, highlighting the dangers faced by vessels navigating the South China Sea.

Cargo. The ship carried a large cargo of porcelain goods. While specific details about the cargo's later recovery are excluded, the initial manifest included porcelain intended for trade. The nature of the cargo, combined with the high number of passengers, contributed to the severity of the loss when the vessel sank in the South China Sea.