Discovery of a relic site in downtown Shanghai may change the way historians view the city, experts from the city's Commission of Relics Management said yesterday.

While such underground relic sites have been known to exist in northern provinces in China, the discovery of such a site in Shanghai is relatively new.

Research work is still in full swing near the site, which is believed to be either from the Song (A.D. 960-1279) or Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties.

"I have never seen such a large-scale relic site in the city's downtown area," said Song Jian, deputy chief of the Commission's Department of Archaeology. "Once we are sure of the period and complete our study, preserving the area as an historical site may be of utmost importance and become an indispensable part of the city's urban planning in the next five years."

Historians believe Shanghai was once known as Huating County, an administrative district established in A.D.751 in what is today's Songjiang District. But it was not until 1260-1274 that Shanghai became known as an important trading port.

In 1292, Shanghai was declared a county, widely deemed as Shanghai's official beginning.

Archaeologists said that if the site's potential historic value is proven, then its perceived history could be challenged.

Archaeologists, who have been working on the site in Putuo District since it was uncovered by construction workers in May, said the discovery was so important that it merits building a special museum to protect it.

The site, located at the junction of Yanchang and Zhidan roads, is 7 meters deep and covers an area as large as 1,000 square meters. Archaeologists believe that given its close proximity to the Suzhou Creek, it may have been a busy harbor installation or a dockyard.

(Eastday.com.cn 07/03/2001)