3-D printers are being exhibited in the No 7 Exhibition Hall of the Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center during the Yunnan Cultural Industry Expo, which runs from Aug 9-14.

In the 3-D printing demo site, the printed 3-D puzzle models and whistles have attracted lots of attention. "A 3-D printer's operating principle is similar to that of a normal printer. It's just that general printers' printing resources are paper and toner cartridges while 3-D printers use plastics, metals and ceramics as their printing sources," said a staff member in Yuepin Technology, a 3-D printing company.

The China Shipping Industry Corporation (CSIC) has been using the latest developed 3-D printer to print chocolates using cocoa powder. The mature chocolate printing products will be available at the end of this year.

This cultural exposition is themed at creating wealth from culture and innovating for the future. The No 7 Exhibition Hall is the technology innovation hall which allows people to better experience the integration of science and technology. Big data, cloud-enabled technology, digital publishing and digital image related products are being exhibited there.

By Ge Jieru and edited by Brian Salter