HARBIN, Oct. 29  -- Chinese archaeologists said they have discovered a large paleolithic site that dates back 10,000 to 30,000 years in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The ruins, covering more than 40,000 square meters, were found in a mountainous area in Kangle Village, Muleng City, said Ni Chunye, director of the city's administration of cultural heritage, on Wednesday. The site was identified as belonging to the Old Stone Age earlier this month.

A total of 136 stone tools in various shapes were collected from the surface of the site. The findings and geological features indicated the site belongs to the Upper Paleolithic period, Ni said.

Of the unearthed large paleolithic sites in China, the Muleng site is furthest east, providing important evidence for research on human development, according to Li Youqian, an expert with the provincial institute of archaeology.

Local police have cordoned off the site to protect it.