A mysterious bird-shaped pottery instrument believed to be 5,000 years old has been unearthed by archaeologists at the ruins of Yuchi Temple in Mengcheng county of Anhui Province, east China.

Archaeologists said that the instrument was the most intact totem that has been excavated from the ruins of the culture of Dawenkou, a primitive Chinese society dating back to 4,300-2,400 BC.

They said that the totem was of great significance in the study of the history of early pottery, and the formation and development of tribes, religion and totems in the pre-history period.

Covering 100,000 square meters, the Yuchi Temple ruins of primitive tribes, said to be the largest and most intact ruins of pre-history buildings ever found in China, were labeled by historians "China's No.1 Primitive Village."

Archaeologists with the archaeological institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have conducted ten excavations on a quarter of the ruins' total area since 1989, unearthing more than 10,000 relics, including houses built with baked mud bricks, tombs, household utensils and earthenware.

The ruins of the Yuchi Temple were put under national protection last year.

Archaeologists said that "China's No.1 Primitive Village" could be regarded as the "Great Hall of the People" and the "Tian'anmen Square" of more than 5,000 years ago. The bird-shaped totem was unearthed near the large square of this primitive village.

The totem consists of three parts, with an oval pot at the bottom, a conic canister in the middle and a bird-shaped instrument on the top of the taper. The whole instrument is 60 cm high, with a bottom diameter of 16 cm and an upper diameter 20 cm.

Archaeologists with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have started a new round of excavations of the ruins, hoping to find more traces of primitive life 5,000 years ago.

They plan to make excavations in an area of 1,250 square meters within two years.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2002)