Since 1898, the Yin ruins have provided the world with more than 150,000 oracle items.

Recording harvest information, astronomical phenomena, the way people worshipped and the wars of the ancient Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC), the inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones from the Yin ruins are scattered around the world.

The oracles were regarded as one of the earliest written languages of humans and is respected as the forefather of Chinese characters.

Many had already aroused the interests of world scholars, said Yang Xizhang, an archaeologist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

They were the most convincing proof and a treasure of human civilization, and also the greatest contribution of Yin ruins to the world, Yang said.

In Anyang, central Henan Province, the Yin ruins were the earliest remains of an ancient capital, which had been excavated based on ancient written materials, said the archaeologist. The site topped the 100 greatest archaeological discoveries in China during the past century.

Covering an area of 30 square kilometers, there is a capital with palaces, a tomb district, a residential area, a bronze casting workshop and worship sites among the ruins, Yang said.

Apart from the large amount of oracles, more than 10,000 pieces of bronze ware and 54 ruins of palaces were excavated in Anyang.

The "simuwu ding" or bronze cauldron, 133 centimeters high and weighing 875 kilograms, was the world's biggest bronze ware ever discovered.

Archaeologists also made another big discovery. They unearthed the tomb of China's first female general, Fuhao, wife of a Yin Dynasty emperor.

Wang Wei, vice director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences archaeology institution, said the biggest scale excavation work at the site was underway.

A state-level cultural heritage, the Yin ruins were listed for special preservation in 1961.

Duan Zhenmei, head of the Anyang Cultural Bureau, said the government established display rooms within the Yin ruins preserve. The tomb of Fuhao and 36 worship areas had been restored.

"A capital for 254 years, everything in the Yin ruins has a story," Duan said. "We shall go all out to preserve the ruins and let people imagine what happened all those years ago."

(eastday.com June 14, 2004)