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Xiang'ao Village in Yuyao City, east China's Zhejiang Province, used to be a silent and unkown village. But all have changed after a huge cultural site was found in the village.

A joint panel of archeologists from Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeological Research, Ningbo Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeological Research and Hemude Site Museum announced on Wednesday that the cultural site spotted at Xiang'ao Village is site that dates back to more than 6,500 years and is as important as the world-famous Hemudu Cultural Site in terms of its value of research.

"It really goes beyond my expectation that such a big secret is revealed given that I was just attempting to dig a well", Dong Guoneng, a local villager told reporter in a tone that combines surprise and excitement.

Dong opens a thermal processing factory by the Tianluo Hill three years ago. As part of the factory project, Dong chose to dig two wells in a field several dozens meters away from the factory.

One day in early 2002, Dong's well-digging team suddently found a 30cm-long, 20cm-wide wood board

"I realized immediately what we've spotted might be precious cultural relices," Dong who has visited museums recalled.

Dong then reported the discovery to archeological experts at Hemudu Museum, who later confirmed after careful investigation that some of the earthen pottery pieces shsre great similarity with cultural relics unearthed at the Hemudu Cultural site.

Archeologists found a large number of animal and plant remains, such as deer horns, fishbones, water chestnuts, sour jujubes and rice after a couple of months of excavation at the site.

What makes the archeologists more excited is that some unearthed cultural reclis such as pottery arm bearing the image of human face and pottery debris that resembles the head of an elephant have been rarely or never spotted at the Hemudu Cultural stie.

According to Sun Guoping, an associate researcher with Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeological Research, the cultural relics unearthed are of distinctive value in the study of pre-history culture of the Yaojiang River area.

Sun also disclosed that the unearthed relics will be open to the press this Friday.