Over 20 archaeologists from around the world visit the Liangzhu relic sites in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Dec 12. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

World's top archaeologists from renowned research institutes visited Liangzhu relic sites in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Dec 12 to closely look into the time-honored ancient Chinese civilization.

The delegation consisted of over 20 global researchers, including Jessica Rawson from University of Oxford, Chris Scarre from Durham University and Peter Bellwood from the Australian National University.

Liangzhu culture (3400-2250 BC) is a late Neolithic culture first discovered 80 years ago by Chinese archaeologists in the town of Liangzhu, Hangzhou. More than 500 sites having been excavated to date, the primitive culture has been found to play an important role in shaping ancient Chinese civilization.

Visitors showed strong interest towards Liangzhu relics after listening to the introduction and watching the historic remains.

Professor Rawson has come to Liangzhu for the fourth time. She said every visit gave her new inspirations. This time, she was impressed by the Chinese archaeologists' dedication to research.

The Mexican expert Linda Manzanilla said she was shocked by the details of the old dams in Liangzhu, "It's unbelievable how people built such grand-scale water projects thousands of years ago."

The last stop of the delegation's trip was Liangzhu Museum where archaeologists were presented unearthed cultural ware. How could the exquisite patterns be made at a time where there were no metal tools? The jade ware aroused researchers' curiosity and heated discussions.

These archaeologists attended an international symposium on Dec 13, where they shared insights on the value of Liangzhu culture.