Zheng He's voyage

In spite of their small size, two 5-centimeter-long blue-and-white porcelain pieces reflect a grand historical picture of the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"They were made in the royal Ming kiln during the reign of Yongle (1403-24), judging by the decorative patterns and shapes," Wang says.

"They share features similar to an intact blue-and-white porcelain dish, which is now housed at the Palace Museum."

The royal kiln in Jingdezhen in today's Jiangxi province, known as "China's ceramics capital", began operation in 1369, a year after Ming rule was established. Its products exclusively served Ming royals.

"The death penalty would surely be given if someone outside the royal court dared to use or even create imitations of products of the royal kiln," Wang says.

Portable X-ray fluorescence and spectrometer analysis of cobalt pigments and white-porcelain bodies in the recently discovered pieces have shown similarities with those at the Palace Museum.

"These pieces of imperial ceramics can demonstrate the high-level diplomatic contact between Ras al-Khaimah and China during the early Ming Dynasty," Wang says about the ceramics at the al-Mataf site.