Watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks

Overview

Developed in South China’s Fujian Province, the watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks permits the construction of ocean-going vessels with watertight compartments. If one or two cabins are accidentally damaged in the course of navigation, seawater will not flood the other cabins and the vessel will remain afloat. The junks are made mainly of camphor, pine and fir timber, and assembled through use of traditional carpenters’ tools. They are built by applying the key technologies of rabbet-jointing planks together and caulking the seams between the planks with ramie, lime and tung oil. The construction is directed by a master craftsman who oversees a large number of craftsmen, working in close coordination. Local communities participate by holding solemn ceremonies to pray for peace and safety during construction and before the launch of the completed vessel. The experience and...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities: China
Languages: Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories: China
Countries: China

How the System Works

Material Culture, Design and Technology Food, Agriculture and Seasonal Practice Ceremony, Spirituality and Cosmology Land, Sea, Sky and Ecology Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Transmission

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ListsDataset

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title: UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle: UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary: UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type: UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries: UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories: ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships: UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl: UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights: UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

uuid70ef2f6f-2ab8-44e4-afc3-e3b6cc006552

ich_public_ref321

inscription_year2010

title_enWatertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks

title_frLa technique des cloisons étanches des jonques chinoises

type_of_element_enUrgent Safeguarding List

type_acronymUSL

countriesCN

http_url_enhttps://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/00321

concepts_primary_namesShipbuilding, Technical skills

concepts_secondary_namesApprenticeship, Carpentry, Craft workers, Family, Know-how transfer, Navigation, Raw materials, Religious practice, Sailing, Technical drawing, Traditional tools, Transport safety, Woodworking

main_image_urlhttps://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/07616-LRG.jpg

main_image_caption_enNot supplied

main_image_copyrightHuang Liang, 2007

main_image_authorWang Yang

videoshttps://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/XZP9fFyitn4

images[object Object], [object Object], [object Object]

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Shipbuilding Technical skills Apprenticeship Carpentry Craft workers Family Know-how transfer Navigation Raw materials Religious practice UNESCO urgent safeguarding list

Review and Corrections

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