28 October 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.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



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

Hellenic and Roman statue heads unearthed in Knidos

9 December 2021

9 December 2021

Hellenic and Roman sculpture heads were unearthed in the ancient Carian settlement Knidos, located in the Datça district of Muğla...

Archaeologists Reveal a Hair Style They Think Was Fashion 2000 Years Ago

19 February 2021

19 February 2021

The small 5 cm figurine found during excavations at Wimpole in Cambridgeshire surprised with its details. National Trust archaeologists and...

Seven Roman altars multicolored in the Great Northern Museum

12 November 2021

12 November 2021

We know that the ancient world is now very colorful. But these colors weren’t just limited to robes and other...

The Spoon of Diocles: Ancient Arrowhead Remover or Misunderstood Mystery?

20 July 2025

20 July 2025

In the annals of ancient surgical history, few instruments are as mysterious and debated as the Spoon of Diocles. This...

An unknown church with a special floor plan discovered in Erwitte, northwestern Germany

18 September 2023

18 September 2023

Archaeologists from the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL) have discovered the remains of a former church from the 10th century near...

İnkaya Cave excavations in Türkiye’s western uncovers 86,000-year-old traces of human life

22 August 2023

22 August 2023

In the excavations carried out in the İnkaya Cave in Çanakkale, located in the northwestern part of Türkiye, in addition...

Gold glass ‘Roma’ unearthed in the excavations of the Rome subway

7 February 2023

7 February 2023

A very rare and refined piece of gold glass representing ‘Roma’, the woman symbol of the Eternal City, has been...

1,500-year-old mosaic found near the Caliph’s palace at Khirbat al-Minya on the Sea of Galilee

30 September 2022

30 September 2022

Archaeologists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz uncovered an ancient mosaic that once lay in the shadow of a caliph palace...

Egyptian archaeologists found 110 ancient tombs in the Nile Delta

28 April 2021

28 April 2021

The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced Tuesday that Egyptian archaeologists had discovered 110 burial tombs on the Nile Delta dating...

Not Just Warriors: Vikings Were Style Icons Too, New Discovery Shows

29 August 2025

29 August 2025

When most people think of Vikings, they imagine fierce warriors charging into battle with axes and shields. But a tiny...

A Unique Discovery in Europe: Ancient Stone Circles Cover 2,800-Year-Old Graves of Children in Norway

29 June 2024

29 June 2024

Archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo discovered an unknown burial site in a quarry near Fredrikstad, in...

East and West Meeting at the King’s Dinner Table

7 April 2021

7 April 2021

Researchers from Tezukayama University and the Uzbekistan Archaeological Institute reported that a food pantry about 37 feet long and 10...

3600-year-old lead weights were unearthed in the Kumluca Bronze Age Shipwreck, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world

27 November 2022

27 November 2022

Underwater archaeological work continues in the Bronze Age shipwreck off Antalya Kumluca, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world....

The bronze age village Afragola buried by the Plinian eruption of mount Vesuvius 4,000 Years Ago

30 September 2022

30 September 2022

Mount Vesuvius’ Plinian eruption about 4,000 years ago—2,000 years before it buried the Roman city of Pompeii—left remarkable preservation of...

Unique Roman Cavalry Parade Helmet Recreated

6 April 2024

6 April 2024

Two replicas have been created of the gilded silver unique Roman cavalry helmet that amateur archaeologists found in 2001 while...