China Neolithic site pictographs may give clues to origin of language

Following the discovery of an ancient city and its dams, considered to be the earliest hydraulic project found in China, archaeologists studying the Neolithic Liangzhu culture are now preparing to unveil hundreds of pictographs in December, and even seek help from foreign experts to decode them.

The Liangzhu relics in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, are widely thought to be strong evidence that Chinese civilization is more than 5,000 years old.

Remains of Liangzhu culture in the Yangtze River Delta region are thought to date back 5,300 years.