Photo: Sina Weibo

Through collaboration between public security organs and cultural heritage administrative departments across China, more than 940 cultural heritage-related criminal cases involving illegal excavation, relics trafficking and destruction of cultural relics were solved in 2024. 

According to information recently released by China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the resolved criminal cases have led to the recovery of approximately 16,000 cultural artifacts.

Among these, 4,800 pieces were recouped following seven major criminal events in cities such as Linfen in Shanxi Province and Huaibei in Anhui Province. 

"Cases involving cultural relics are typically carried out by organized groups, and there is often a pattern of them moving across multiple locations," cultural policy expert Song Weiping told the Global Times, adding "these criminal gangs tend to establish themselves in areas where they have previously gained illegal profits."

Prior to the case titled "Anhui Huaibei 11.29" being solved in 2024, in 2021 the Public Security Bureau of Huaibei spotted a batch of Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) stone reliefs stored in a local warehouse. 

The batch of cultural artifacts were found to consist of a total of 92 items including national second-grade stone reliefs. Three suspects were found to have been traversing from Huaibei to Xuzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, in attempts to resell these cultural relics. 

"Criminal groups of a mobile nature are one of the major reasons why nationwide public security and cultural heritage management organs must coordinate with each other," Song explained.

It is this department coordination that led to the recovery of 16,000 relics, especially the recovery of Chinese relics lost overseas. 

By coordinating with INTERPOL to release 400 entries of information about stolen works, two precious stolen Chinese artifacts - a gilded bronze door knocker with a ring from the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC) and a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) bronze arhat statue - were retrieved from overseas. 

Including the two items retrieved from overseas, a total of 1,000 ancient objects among the 16,000 items recovered during the 2024 campaign were found to be highly precious first-, second- and third-grade national relics. 

This batch of relics includes a Western Zhou (1046BC-771BC) bronze phoenix vessel, a bronze container made during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) as well as an Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) stone relief and a gold seal dating back to the Jin period (1115-1234). The last one is a type of official seal mainly used to show the identity and power of military generals of the Eastern Xia Kingdom during the Jin period. 

Beside cases relating to movable relics, in 2024, more than 60 criminal cases that included those related to the deliberate destruction of historic sites and intentional or negligent damage to cultural relics were filed and investigated through Chinese public security organs that launched special campaigns. 

The MPS will further collaborate with the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) to enhance the "long-term joint mechanism" for combating and preventing cultural relic crimes. This mechanism will continue to deepen cooperation in areas such as "information sharing," "case consultation," and "cultural relic identification."

During the 2024 campaign, the ministry carried out more than 7,000 joint law enforcement inspections with cultural heritage departments including the NCHA. Meanwhile, over 100,000 patrols around cultural relic and museum units were conducted. 

"Public security organs will further improve and refine collaborative working mechanisms with relevant departments, maintaining a high-pressure stance against cultural relic crimes. We will promote the enhancement of security and prevention capabilities at cultural relic and museum units, resolutely ensuring the safety of historical and cultural heritage," said a representative of the MPS. 

In 2023, prior to the 2024 collaboration, a total of seven departments, including the NCHA and the MPS, launched a "work plan" to combat and prevent cultural heritage crimes. The work plan is scheduled to run through 2025. 

A total of 17 key tasks are outlined in the "work plan," such as cracking down on "looting of ancient cultural sites and tombs," "theft and vandalism of grotto temples, stone carvings and ancient architectural structures."