An Yang in central China's Henan Province is busy preparing to put its 3,300-year-old capital ruins, which contain preserved bones and shells with ancient inscriptions, on the World Heritage list.

The birthplace of the ancient Yinxu Culture, Anyang is aiming to establish a heritage park featuring the Yinxu Culture, and is applying to join the World Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Jin Suidong, deputy mayor of Anyang, central China's Henan Province, said at a symposium in Beijing Sunday.

The cultural relics authorities in Anyang have constructed Yinxu Ruins Museum at the base of an ancient palace, renovated Fuhao Tomb, which was an important building for the Yinxu Culture,and built Yinling Museum near the tombs of Shang kings, Jin said.

In October the Ministry of Science and Technology published the academic achievements by more than 200 Chinese experts on specific dating of the nation's three remote dynasties Xia, Shang and Zhou, which are regarded as the start of China's history of 5,000 years.

According to their results, the king of Shang moved his capital to ancient Anyang 3,300 years ago.

The widely accepted earliest date of Chinese history is BC 841, in Sima Qian's Record of History. The first half of the Chinese civilization remains a mysterious and hot topic among world historians.

Li Xueqin, a leading historian for the dating project, said that they have decoded the sequential dates of the three remote dynasties.

After archaeologists unearthed the bones and tortoise shells with ancient inscriptions 102 years ago in Anyang, the city became a center for studying the ancient Chinese civilization, Li said.

According to current statistics, Anyang has preserved more than 150,000 pieces of bones and shells with ancient inscriptions, nearly 10,000 articles of bronze, 54 palace ruins and other heritage sites.

(People's Daily 01/08/2001)