Photo taken on March 9, 2011 shows a general view of Liangzhu relic site, a Neolithic site, in east China's Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Regarding Liangzhu in particular, Renfrew described it as "naturally a feather in China's cap," showcasing the great early Chinese civilization in parallel with other ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamian, the Indus Valley, the ancient Greek, Indian and Mayan civilizations.

The World Heritage Committee is now holding its 43rd session in Baku, Azerbaijan, to examine inscription of new sites on World Heritage List, with Liangzhu being one of the strong candidates. However, the professor said whether or not Liangzhu is put on the UNESCO list doesn't change much the fact that Liangzhu is a site of "primary importance."

"It doesn't make very much difference to me whether it's on the World Heritage List or not. It is a site of primary importance," said Renfrew.

"For me, personally, it's already one of the great early sites of China, and one of the great earliest sites of the world," he said.