For more than 2,000 years,
coastal trade in China has depended on a remarkable and pioneering type of ship,
known to us as the junk.
This working vessel follows a general design that's been in use in Fujian for at least 600 years.
Its bows take the form of a beak, with two large painted eyes
evoking the traditional seafarers' belief that the bird's image would help sailors return safely,
like the migrants that return each spring and autumn.