An archaeologist clears the Wangjiayuan ruins in Baiquan town, Zhoushan. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

The Wangjiayuan ruins in Baiquan town, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province was recently identified as a Hemudu culture site by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, local media reported on Nov 24.

The ruins is currently the earliest Neolithic site discovered in the city and it proves that the history of Zhoushan Archipelago dates back more than 6,000 years.

In September, the 7,000-square-meter ruins was discovered when a team of experts from the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Zhoushan Institute of Historic Preservation and Archaeology carried out an archaeological investigation in Baiquan.

The pottery unearthed in Wangjiayuan ruins in Baiquan town, Zhoushan. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

The investigation team unearthed more than 20 relics, including pottery and stone artifacts.

"These unearthed items have a distinctive style of Hemudu culture and provide powerful evidence that the Hemudu culture once existed in Zhoushan," said Zhu Xuefei from Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Zhu mentioned that these unearthed relics also have features of another culture – the Majiabang culture, which existed in the same Neolithic age with Hemudu culture.

"It can be concluded that more than 6,000 years ago, Zhoushan Archipelago already had close contacts with the mainland," added Zhu.