The Ancient Ship is a novel by Zhang Wei (張煒) first published in 1987. The novel spans four decades of Chinese history beginning with the creation of the People's Republic in 1949, then difficult periods of land reform, as well as famine, the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward. It is the story of three generations, the Sui, Zhao and Li families who live through these difficult times. The novel is set in the fictional northern town of Wali which once had a thriving river and docks, but whose river shrank to the point of being unnavigable. The title refers to an ancient ship that is discovered buried in the floodplain adjacent to the city. A translation into English was published in 2008 by Harper Collins.