SHANGHAI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Salvage of a 160-year-old shipwreck, the largest and best-preserved wooden shipwreck discovered underwater in China to date, began Wednesday.

This sunken ship, with a large number of cultural relics, was a merchant vessel during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi (1862-1875) in the Qing Dynasty period.

Named Yangtze No. 2 Ancient Shipwreck, the ship was found submerged at a depth of 5.5 meters below the seabed in the waters of Hengsha shoal in the northeast of Hengsha island in Shanghai's Chongming District.

According to archaeological investigations, the ship is about 38.5 meters long and 7.8 meters at its widest in the middle. It has 31 cabins and is loaded with exquisite cultural relics such as porcelain made in Jingdezhen, a world-famous "porcelain capital" in east China's Jiangxi Province.