People visit the new Liangzhu Museum in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, June 26, 2018. More than 600 cultural relics are exhibited at the museum which reopened on Monday after ten months of renovation. [Photo/Xinhua]

The professor welcomed Liangzhu's possible recognition by UNESCO as a world heritage, saying that Liangzhu is "particularly important" for study of the origin of human civilization.

"I think it's very appropriate that the World Heritage organization recognize the importance of some very early sites. And that is, of course, where Liangzhu is so particularly important... It's well worth being on the World Heritage List of UNESCO," he said.

Renfrew has visited Liangzhu twice since 2013 and has been fascinated by the site. In 2018, he published a co-authored article titled "The emergence of complex society in China: the case of Liangzhu," calling for global attention on the significance of the Liangzhu site. He also incorporated Liangzhu into his latest edition of widely recognized textbook "Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice."

The professor lauded efforts by Chinese authorities and archaeologists to protect and promote historical heritages.

"It's certainly clear that the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Archaeology in Beijing have been doing a very good job for many decades, and continue to do so. It's important for any nation to open its doors and have people visiting it know about its early past."