Experts said the primitive village, which was discovered on Friday in Chifeng of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was the best preserved and largest of the early settlements to have been excavated in the country.

Eleven rectangular houses and 10 tombs have been explored. According to the earth surface investigation, there are a total of 150 houses in the village. Divided into three areas, the houses are arranged in an orderly pattern running northeast to southwest.

Liu Guoxiang, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said such a magnificent and intact village indicates that the history of Chinese civilization can be traced back even earlier than 8,000 years.

This is the second time archaeologists have conducted excavations on the Xinglonggou ruins in Inner Mongolia. Examinations to date show houses with tombs inside, household utensils and some small pure jade artifacts, the earliest ones ever discovered.

Liu said the differences between the houses give a clue to the different status of the residents in the village. For example, the master of House No 22 would have been someone rich and powerful.

No 22 covers the largest area and has its own distinct construction style, which includes six symmetrical columns and provides an invaluable source of material for the study of ancient construction methods.

(China Daily October 29, 2002)