The replica of the 18th century Swedish merchant ship
"Gotheborg" arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday after a 10-day voyage
from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
The ship is scheduled to stay berthed in the metropolis for two
months before a two-week stay in a shipyard in neighboring Zhejiang
Province that will bring its China tour to an end.
In Guangzhou for a month, the ship was visited at least 2.5
million times since it arrived in the city on July 18 and more than
80,000 people were allowed to board the ship, according to local
tourism authorities.
During this time, the Swedes staged a series of exhibitions in
Guangzhou reviewing the milestones in Sino-Swedish relations, and
showcasing Swedish coffee, tea culture and sailing.
China and Sweden recorded US$5.7 billion in bilateral trade in
2005, China's Ministry of Commerce said.
Sources with the Swedish Embassy in Beijing said about 300
Swedish companies have set up business operations in China,
representing a total investment of US$2.8 billion.
The legendary "Gotheborg" made three voyages from Gothenburg to
Guangzhou between 1743 and 1745, pioneering trade between Sweden
and China.
On its last return trip to Sweden in 1745, tragedy struck when
it smashed into rocks about 900 meters from its destination after a
30-month voyage to China. It sank with its entire cargo, including
tea, china and silk, outside the port of Gothenburg.
The wreck was recovered in 1984 and excavation was conducted
from 1986 to 1992. The discovery led to the idea of rebuilding a
replica of the ship by using the same traditional techniques and
materials and sailing it to China again.
The replica, Gotheborg III, is 58.8 meters long and 11 meters
wide. It cost US$30 million and 10 years to build by more than
4,000 shipbuilders. Its voyage to China took nine and a half
months.
(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2006)
