A worship site discovered in the Gaomiao ashes in central China's Hunan Province indicates the people there enjoyed a rich spiritual life 7,400 years ago, making it the oldest religious site discovered so far in China, according to archeologists.

Located at west Hunan's Hongjiang city, the Gaomiao ashes is one of the well-preserved sites of the Neolithic age.

The provincial archaeological institution organized an excavation at the 15,000-sq-m historical site from February to March, and discovered sites built for worship together with a number of utensils used in the worship, like white gallipots and ivory engravings.

He Gang, an archaeologist with the institution, said that it was the earliest historical site discovered in China concerning religion.

Worship was the indisputable proof for the existence of human religious belief, He said, and the worship site well indicated the rich spiritual life of primordial ancestors.

He said the elegant image of a phoenix on one gallipot reflected an advanced sculpture craftsmanship 7,400 years ago, which was another proof of people's wisdom and spiritual richness at that time.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2004)