18 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

3D printing technology was used for the restored relic restoration of an ancient palace in Liangzhu Archaeological Site

Six rebuilt massive wooden pillars of an old palace have been exposed to the public for the first time at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in east China’s Zhejiang Province.

The pillars on display are made by 3D printers and are high-tech full-scale replicas of 5000-year-old parts unearthed from the archaeological site of the ancient city that existed between 3300 BC. And 2300 BC.

At the 5,300-year-old archaeological site, 15 massive timber components were discovered in the watercourses. The finding demonstrated that humans living during the period were capable of constructing large-scale buildings such as palaces more than 5,000 years ago.

The longest component on display is 17.2 meters and the thickest is 80 centimeters in diameter.

Details of the wooden components on display during the Liangzhu Cultural week in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.Photo: China News
Details of the wooden components on display during the Liangzhu Cultural week in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province.Photo: China News

Some of the components have square holes called mortises, which are significant architectural structures used to join two timber elements in traditional Chinese architecture.

In a statement to CGTN, Sun Haibo, deputy director of the Cultural Relics and Heritage Administration at the Liangzhu Archaeological Site Management Bureau, noted that wooden components may have been used during its construction to strengthen the palace’s solidity. They could also be parts of the building blocks of the palace, such as beams or pillars.” he said.

Visitors look at the wooden components on display during the Liangzhu Cultural week in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: China News
Visitors look at the wooden components on display during the Liangzhu Cultural week in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. Photo: China News

The components required several years of dehydration treatment. The exhibits are almost indistinguishable from the original ones in appearance.

“This is our first time to use 3D printing technology for relic restoration. Visitors will be able to look closely at the components and imagine what the palace would have looked like 5,000 years ago,” said Sun.

The new technology can protect the cultural relics from the damage caused during the mold reversal and demolding process.

The wooden components are on display as part of the Liangzhu Cultural Week from July 6 to 12. 

Related Articles

A new Indo-European Language discovered in the Hittite capital Hattusa

21 September 2023

21 September 2023

The Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism announced in a written statement that a new Indo-European language was discovered...

5500-year-old pentagon structure found in North China

13 November 2021

13 November 2021

Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a pentagonal structure going back 5,500 years in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, north China. According to...

Archaeologists uncovered a kurgan tomb from a previously unknown culture

8 January 2023

8 January 2023

Archaeologists from the Siberian Federal University have unearthed a kurgan tomb and numerous bronze tools and artifacts from a previously...

Unveiling a Roman Settlement Beyond the Empire: New Discoveries in Delbrück-Bentfeld, Germany

6 April 2025

6 April 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in Delbrück-Bentfeld, located in northwestern Germany, have revealed significant evidence of a Roman settlement that existed beyond...

Refurbishment at the Uffizi Gallery Revealed a Pair of Priceless Lost Renaissance Frescoes

24 April 2021

24 April 2021

A couple of construction workers discovered two Renaissance-era treasures while working on an extensive renovation project at Florence’s world-famous Uffizi...

A collection of 430 burial objects found in the tomb of a 3000-year-old Noblewoman in China

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

A tomb belonging to a noblewoman dating back about 3,000 years has been unearthed in North China’s Shanxi Province. The...

Remains of first Islamic madrassa found in Turkey’s Harran

1 December 2021

1 December 2021

The remnants of a 12th-century madrassa (Islamic institution of higher instruction) have been discovered in the archaeological site of Harran,...

4,500-year-old rare Canaanite goddess sculpture found by a farmer in Gaza Strip

25 April 2022

25 April 2022

A farmer in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, found a rare 4,500-year-old stone sculpture while...

New Discoveries at Ancient Greek City of Paestum’s ‘Little Doric Temple’ in Italy

16 April 2023

16 April 2023

Archaeologists have made a series of extraordinary discoveries that may fundamentally alter the understanding of the past of the ancient...

Archaeologists uncover Europe’s oldest lakeside stilt village behind a fortress of defensive spikes

11 August 2023

11 August 2023

Under the turquoise waters of Lake Ohrid, the “Pearl of the Balkans” Scientists have uncovered what may be one of...

Researchers Examine 4,000 Bricks to Solve the Secrets of an Ancient Roman Metropolis of Trier

12 April 2025

12 April 2025

Trier, once a significant economic and political center in the northern provinces of the Roman Empire, is set to be...

This summer, a 2,000-year-old “thermopolium” fast-food restaurant in Pompeii will reopen to the public

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

Archaeologists excavated a 2000-year-old fast food and drink counter “termopolium” on the streets of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii...

Native American artifacts from 1100 AD found in North America’s First City

20 June 2024

20 June 2024

Cahokia is the largest and most significant urban settlement of the Mississippian culture, known for creating massive earthen platform mounds...

Researchers find the earliest record of aurora in old Chinese documents

15 April 2022

15 April 2022

Researchers have found the oldest known reference to a candidate aurora in a celestial event, described in an ancient Chinese...

New evidence pushes the origins of the Great Wall back by 300 years

19 February 2025

19 February 2025

Recently discovered evidence from the Changqing district of Jinan, located in East China’s Shandong Province, reveals that the origins of...