Site provides clearer picture of China's past

New archaeological discoveries in Yuyao city, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, provide a clearer picture of life in China's Neolithic age and confirm that the nation originated the practice of paddy cultivation.

Archaeologists are completing a 10-year dig in Tianluo Mountain, which demonstrates a clear layout of typical Neolithic tribes, Sun Guoping, captain of the exploration team, told China Daily on Tuesday.

"It is so far the best preserved site of the Hemudu culture," he said, referring to one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.

"We can see a clear wooden structure of the living and working areas of a tribe. There were walls, food stores, paddy fields and even piles of rice husks."

The Hemudu site recorded primitive activities of ancient China from 7000-5000 BC, one of the earliest recordings of China's Neolithic age. Archaeological exploration of the site began in 1973.

Discoveries at the Tianluo Mountain site prove that the practice of cultivating paddy started in China, Sun said.

He said the site covers an area of more than 30,000 square meters with six layers. Some 1,800 sq m of land has been explored during the past 10 years of exploration, and more than 7,000 relics have been discovered. [...] usa.chinadaily.com.cn/