The museum covering the Banpo Ruins near Xi'an, northwest China, the largest and best-preserved primitive village ever discovered in China, will reopen on April 1 after renovations.

A protection hall built a half century ago above the ruins was in disrepair, posing a threat to the relics and prompting the need for repairs, curator Zhang Lizhi said.

Authorities on cultural relics also reburied the ruins for better protection. The ruins have been in good condition since the operation, according to archaeologists.

The renovated protection hall covers 4,600 square meters, up from the original 2,700 square meters. Six exhibition rooms in the hall provide an insight into primitive life, Zhang said.

A newly found site that had been used for sacrifices along with cultural relics and funerary objects will also be exhibited, the curator said.

The museum was built on the 6,000-year-old village about 7 kilometers east of Xi'an, capital of western China's Shaanxi Province.

The remains of this primitive settlement were discovered in 1952 when workers were laying the foundation for a factory building.

The ancient settlement reveals the living environment, labor skills and social customs of early Chinese who belonged to a matriarchal clan community in the Neolithic Age.

(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2006)