Alleged tomb robbers put on trial in Beijing

Eight suspected tomb robbers were put on trial at Beijing Haidian District People's Court on Tuesday, after being caught breaking into a protected ancient site about 35 kilometers from the city center.

The trial heard that the group of eight drove to the site of the tomb of Prince Chun, father of Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), in Haidian on June 26, with the intention of breaking in and looting relics.

The group took tools such as electric drills, lamps and generators with them to the site, which was listed as a key national cultural relic protection site in 2019.

Residents living nearby called Haidian police, who apprehended them in a hotel in Fangshan district on June 27.

The eight defendants had a clear division of labor that night, according to Li Ying, Haidian district's prosecutor. Some were responsible for driving or using the tools, while some explored the tomb or kept watch at the entrance.

During the trial, the defendants admitted entering the tomb in order to take away relics, but all stated they did not damage any part of the site after finding nothing to excavate.

"Their behavior was obviously not a normal visit," Li said, explaining that entering the tomb with the intention of using tools to excavate should be viewed equally as the crime of actually excavating ancient cultural sites in line with the Criminal Law, regardless of whether any relics were damaged.

"The group entered a tomb under national key protection, meaning they need to be severely punished," she added.

After the three-hour hearing, the court said a ruling will be announced at a later date.

In 2022, the court presided over a similar case in which 13 people were given prison terms for destroying cultural relics by digging a hole of more than 10 meters deep into a mountainside in the district.

Wang Chengfeng, a judges' assistant from the court, said they have resolutely combated premeditated excavations of ancient sites that cause serious losses, with greater efforts made in the recovery of stolen cultural relics.

"Cultural relics are non-renewable and non-reproducible resources. Protecting them is to protect history," she said, adding the fight against relic-related crimes is to build a judicial barrier for relics protection.

Zhao Li, a criminal lawyer at the Beijing Jingsh Law Firm, said areas with a wealth of cultural heritage, such as Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, have often been targeted by groups of robbers.

"Most defendants are former construction workers who excavate relics for money, and we can't rule out that some people commit this crime in the name of adventure after watching popular movies or books related to ancient tombs," he added.

He lauded judicial departments' increasingly strong determination and strictness in relics protection in recent years, but suggested more measures be taken in law education and crime prevention.

Data released by the Ministry of Public Security on Monday showed that Chinese police solved more than 1,070 cases of excavating, stealing or selling cultural relics from January to November last year, with the capture of over 2,400 suspects.

At the same time, more than 13,000 cultural relics, including bronze, porcelain and pottery, were recovered, according to the data.

Such cases have fallen in recent years, showing that tougher judicial action is making a difference.

Judicial efforts were also strengthened in tightening oversight on auction houses, antique markets, short-video platforms and secondhand online trading platforms over the past few years.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn