Archeologists in east China's Shandong Province said they had retrieved a sunken boat dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, more than 700 years ago, that carried heritage items including rare porcelain.

An ancient wooden ship was uncovered at a construction site in Heze, East China's Shandong province. [Xinhua]

The wooden boat, unearthed in pieces from a construction site in Heze City, was 21 meters long, 5 meters wide, 1.8 meters tall and had 10 cabins, said Xie Zhixiu, the provincial cultural heritage chief, at a press conference.

He said more than 110 heritage items were found in and near the wreckage, including porcelain, lacquerwork, jade, stoneware, bronze and gold ornaments.

A 49-cm wooden ruler provided important clues to research on metrological equipment of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), said Xie.

He assumed the boat was sailing in a local river, carrying officials or merchants, when it sank.