Excavation of a cultural artifact site in southeast China's Anhui Province has proved that the middle-and-lower reaches of the Yangtze River boasted advanced civilization as far back in the Neolithic period some 5,000 years ago.

　　Zhang Jingguo, an archaeologist responsible for the excavation of the Lingjiatan relic site in Anhui, said that it could be one of the origins of the Chinese civilization.

　　Four rounds of excavations at the site have been made throughout the past decade since the artifact site, covering 1.6 million square meters.

　　The site was first spotted in 1987. Some 62 caves, an altar, a stoneware workshop, and a large square paved with red pottery pieces were found.

　　Some of the amazing discoveries include six jade-carving human statues, a meticulously-made jade scoop, and jade pieces and jade turtles imprinted with augury patterns.

　　The six jade statues indicate that the ancestors of the Chinese nation already wore threaded and hemp-made clothes, rather than " leaves and animal fells" 5,000 years ago, said Zhang.

(Xinhua 01/31/2001)