The Marine Silk Road Museum opens in southern Guangdong province on Thursday. The maritime museum displays relics from an 800-year-old sunken ship that sailed during the Song Dynasty.

The opening of the museum provides a first-hand look at the sunken ship Naihai No.1, and what was on it. More than 200 pieces are on show including ancient relics made from gold, silver, iron, pottery and porcelain. Many of which haven't been found before in China.

In the museum, the public can also see a live underwater performance led by a team of archeologists. Naihai No.1 is kept submerged so the micro-environment in and around the sunken ship isn't disturbed.

Covering an area of over 12-thousand square meters, the museum consists of three major exhibition areas and eight exhibition halls.

Guangdong provincial government invested nearly 200-million yuan in the museum, which took 4 years to construct.

Nanhai No.1 was immersed in a sealed glass container in a huge pool at the  museum on Sep 27.