Many of Hong Kong’s 235 islands would have been used over the years as a shelter during stormy weather or simply a place to have a picnic and enjoy the scenery in a calm water bay.

On occasion, eating utensils such as ceramic cups, dishes, bowls and spoons would have been thrown overboard or found their way onto the seabed unintentionally. In June 2010, a local diver took the Group to such a site and, over a five-day period, two small sections of the seabed were surveyed and over 300 ceramic items recorded.

Although it’s early days in the process of dating the pieces, it is possible that they could originate from as far back as 200–300 years ago. Many of the ceramics are broken  so they were probably thrown overboard but there are a number that are intact, which raises questions about their origin.

The site survey we conducted is one of two types of surveys we are implementing as part of our current project, the other being a shipwreck site survey. Together these surveys will provide some examples of the potential and range of sites and materials that can be found in Hong Kong waters.