Heritage park to be built in Hubei

WUHAN - A large heritage park will be built in a neolithic site in central Hubei province, local authorities said Sunday.

With an investment of more than one billion yuan ($150 million), the heritage park will include the renowned Shijiahe Site and more than 40 other sites. A site museum, an exhibition hall, and a science and education museum will also be built in the park.

Covering an area of eight square km, the park will be larger than the size of the Palace Museum.

Focusing on prehistoric civilization in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the park will focus on the development of society, the building of cities, and different kinds of manufacturing sites around from 4,000 years ago.

"Archaeologists have excavated Shijiahe over 20 times since the 1950s and found it dates back 4,000 to 6,000 years ago," said Xiang Qifang, leader of the site archaeological team. "The site could represent the highest level of cultural development in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, which will be crucial for the research of society and economy at that time."

The park is scheduled to be completed and open to the public by the end of 2019.