Archaeologists in China's Zhejiang Province have uncovered the foundations of a massive sluice gate and dam system belonging to the Liangzhu Culture. The structure is unique for its use of bamboo-wrapped earth bundles used to reinforce the mud-and-stone foundations against the seasonal flooding of the Yangtze River delta.
This engineering feat confirms that the Liangzhu civilization possessed a highly organized labor force capable of building one of the world's earliest large-scale hydraulic systems. The discovery of stone-cutting tools and charred wooden posts at the site suggests that the dam was part of a city-wide effort to reclaim wetland for intensive rice cultivation roughly 5,000 years ago.