Ingots with Chinese Inscription

Southern China, 11th–12th century CE

Marine Heritage Gallery, Jakarta

This rectangular ingot was found at the Pulau Buaya shipwreck site in 1989, near Pulau Buaya (Buaya Island) in Riau, Indonesia. The cargo, salvaged in 1989, consisted primarily of ceramics from Guangdong and Fujian, with smaller quantities of finer wares from other provinces. As was common, there was no archaeological documentation of the ship, so all context has been lost and we know little of the origin of the ship. However, comparative analysis with the Lingga and Flying Fish wrecks suggests that the Pulau Buaya was a Southeast Asian ship constructed using the ‘lashed-lug’ technique, which sank in the 12th century while transporting ceramics and ironware to Southeast Asian markets.   

This is one of 18 ingots recovered from the site. It features two Chinese inscriptions, one on each side. One side reads ‘guan’, meaning ‘official,’ while the other likely denotes the weight of the ingot. The ingot is thought to have served as ‘paying ballast’ – that is, as both a means of payment in trade and as a weight to balance the ship. With its hand-carved inscriptions, the ingot reflects significant developments in Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE) metal production during a period of economic expansion in China.

Aside from the ingots, over 32,000 items were recovered from the site, including both ceramics, a copper gong, anklets, and several Chinese coins. Most of the ceramics originated from factories in Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi, indicating active trade relations between China and Sumatra in the 11th to 12th centuries CE.

The ingot has been on display at the Marine Heritage Gallery Jakarta since 2017. It provides tangible evidence of historic trade routes and economic interactions that took place between China and Southeast Asia.