New big discoveries have been made during the recent excavation of Yuchi Temple prehistoric site in south China's Anhui Province, which began last autumn and lasted for over one year.

Located in Mengcheng County, Yuchi Temple prehistoric site, which is about 5,000 years old, belongs to the later period of the Dawenkou Culture (4000 BC- 2600 BC), a culture of the late Neolithic Age.

"This is the thirteenth excavation of the prehistoric site. Our aim is to make clear the architectural layout of the whole site," said Wang Jihuai, a research fellow with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

According to Wang, the six discoveries, all the first in China's archaeological findings, include the excavation of house relics of the Longshan Culture, nearly 500 years after the Dawenkou Culture, a group of exquisite seven-legged fretwork vessels, well-preserved houses from the Dawenkou period, adult tombs with plentiful funeral objects, relics of the composition of several large-mouth jars, and houses with inner rooms.

"From the great quantity of drinking vessels unearthed at Yuchi Temple, we draw the conclusion that in South China nearly 5,000 years ago, wine culture was already very popular. It advances the birth of wine in China by nearly 1,000 years," said Wang.

According to Wang, from findings at the Yuchi Temple prehistoric site, it is clear that 5,000 years ago the site already had an embryonic form of a city and the handicraft industry had separated from agriculture.

"All those findings at Yuchi Temple are of great significance for the research on China's prehistoric culture," Wang said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2004)