An ancient culture dating back more than 5,000 years proved China’s early exchanges with other societies, experts say.

Experts believe the Majiayao culture had a close     1    (connect) with other various cultures. They put it forward at a recent meeting     2     was held in Gansu Province. With more than 5,000 years of history, it plays an important role in the development of the Chinese civilization (文明). This culture spread to Central Asia through     3     is now China’s Xinjiang Province,     4    (bring) rice from China to the west.

Swedish expert Johan first     5    (investigate) cultural sites in 1924. In the 1940s, Xia Nai named the sites after the Majiayao, with painted pottery (彩陶) as     6    (it) most special feature. Some experts point out that the Majiayao culture     7    (obvious) shares similarities with the cultures of some parts of the Black Sea. People from these cultures used pottery     8    (make) human head sculptures.     9     addition, some Central Asian features also appeared on the painted pottery of the Majiayao.

Actions     10    (take) to protect the Majiayao culture by building museums, organizing meetings and doing more research so far.