Chinese museum digitally replicates complex millennia-old wine vessels

WUHAN, June 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese museum has released a digital replica of a set of wine vessels dating back 2,400 years, once deemed too complicated to replicate.

The 3D digital version of Marquis Yi of Zeng's Zun and Basin was featured in a video clip released by the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province.

The original bronze ware, dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), consists of a zun and a pan. A zun was used to contain wine, while a pan held water to either warm or cool the wine. The zun and the pan were each soldered with dozens of accessories, including hollowed-out decorations of intertwined dragons and snakes.

"It is the most complex and exquisite bronze ware of the pre-Qin period. The relic has yet to be fully reproduced as its internal structure remains a mystery," said Zhang Changping, a history professor at Wuhan University.

The latest replication project, jointly conducted by the Hubei Provincial Museum and the Palace Museum, used industrial CT scanning to reveal the invisible structures of the wine vessels.

Many archaeologists are excited about the replica, which took four years to complete, said Jiang Xudong, a researcher with the Hubei Provincial Museum. "The effort will pave the way for a true replica to be created in the future."