The plate-unveiling ceremony of the International Research Center for Austronesian Archaeology, was held in Pingtan in East China's Fujian province on Nov 7.

The research center, the first of its kind in the country, is jointly established by the Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Fujian Museum and Pingtan local government.

Austronesian languages are currently spoken by more than 300 million people on islands across the Pacific Ocean.

A large amount of prehistoric sites found in Pingtan proves that it is a significant origin of Austronesian culture and the discoveries there provide clues on how people migrated from the Asian continent to islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The institute, built near the Keqiutou ruins, will collect and repair the cultural relics and display them to the public. It is designed to be an important base for research and exchanges between China and other countries with Austronesian culture.

The plate-unveiling ceremony of the International Research Center for Austronesian Archaeology is held in Pingtan in East China's Fujian province on Nov 7. [Photo/Xinhua]