GUIYANG, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have found traces of human activities dating back between 38,000 and 4,000 years ago in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

A large number of pottery shards, stones, animal bones and horn tools used by ancient humans have been unearthed at an excavation site in Yankong village in Guizhou.

The findings suggest that the ancient humans living in the area fished, hunted and collected fruits to make a living. No signs of planting have been found yet.

The two tombs discovered at the site were also the earliest known signs of burying the dead in Guizhou, archaeologists said.

The excavation has been carried out by Guizhou cultural relics and archaeological institute, Sichuan University and Chengdu cultural relics and archaeological institute since 2017.

Archaeologists said the site, which is the earliest evidence of human activities in central Guizhou, is helpful to establish the development sequences of prehistoric culture in the area.

The excavation is also significant in understanding how ancient humans in low-altitude plateaus survived and adapted to extreme climates, according to the archaeologists.