A replica of a fourteenth century junk boat, the first of its kind in China, embarked on its trial voyage on Wednesday off the coast of Xiamen, in preparation for a voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

"The Princess Taiping" was built in strict accordance with ancient Chinese shipbuilding techniques with natural materials, China Foto Press reported.

 

Senior craftsmen from the coastal cities of Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou took part in the construction of wind-powered ship.

 

After the trial voyage, the junk will sail across the Pacific to San Francisco, United States this May, and will return to China in March or April the following year.

 

The junk, a flat-bottomed ship with a high mast and battened sails, was a typical mode of sea transport for Chinese on the maritime Silk Road.