1959 was the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China, and in this year, the people of the whole country were preparing for the 10th anniversary celebration ceremony.
However, just before the National Day, the China History Museum prominently reported a major theft case, and the national treasure Western Zhou bronze "Shi Konghe" was stolen.
In August 1959, the China History Museum was completed, and after its completion, the display of exhibits in the museum became a top priority, and Premier Zhou Enlai had a special love for the National Museum, and in 1958, he called on democrats to donate cultural relics. A group of large collectors sent rare treasures to the museum, and Zhou Enlai strictly ordered caution with these treasures.
The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the cultural relics in the exhibition hall of the China History Museum, and the Politburo of the Central Committee approves the display plan and finally submits it to Chairman Mao for approval.
All ready, according to the established plan, the museum will open to the public on July 1, 1961.
On August 18, the custodian of the Western Zhou Social Relics Exhibition Hall of the History Museum came to The 32nd exhibition hall during the routine inspection, when she checked the cultural relics in the cabinet, she obviously remembered that it was 17 pieces, but at this time it became 16 pieces, and she immediately went to the museum security department to report the case: "Shi Konghe" is missing!
"Shi Konghe" is a bronze vessel from the Western Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, which looks like a spherical water bowl with a handle, is not large, 7.5 cm high and 11 cm in diameter, and is a legal measuring instrument cast by an aristocrat named "Shi Kong" in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Archaeologist Guo Moruo, historian Zhai Bozan and others have called it a rare treasure for the study of China's metrology history and agricultural history, and this object is a national first-class cultural relic, and it can also be regarded as a national treasure.
At the beginning of the liberation, an old lady Wang of Qingdao took it to the trading bank, which regarded the acquisition of Shi Konghe as a treasure, and after learning of this information, the Zhenhuan Pavilion Store Department of Beijing Technicolor Company learned of this information and negotiated with the Qingdao Trading House to intend to acquire Shi Konghe.
Later, the Zhenhuan Pavilion Store Department dedicated this object to the Palace Museum, and in June 1959, when the China History Museum was about to be launched, the Palace Museum transported Shi Konghe to the China History Museum and placed it in Cabinet 32.
After The theft, the Museum Security Section immediately contacted the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
In the end, Premier Zhou Enlai learned of this matter, he considered it very thoughtfully, Zhou Enlai believed that it was currently the tenth anniversary of the Republic, and the national treasure was stolen, so could it be the enemy elements? Or is there a bigger secret behind this?
Zhou Enlai immediately issued two instructions: First, to strictly seal the news, and second, to investigate the case within a time limit.
When the detective team took notes at the scene of the museum, it was found that the internal security precautions of the new museum were strict, and it was difficult for people who were not familiar with the internal situation to enter the museum to commit crimes.
That is to say, to a large extent, the theft of national treasures was committed by insiders.
After hearing the report, An Lin, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, immediately consulted with others and concluded that insiders had committed crimes.
Han Bingwen, director of the museum's administrative office, and Li Baoting, director of the investigation department of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, became the people in charge of the case.
They analyzed and investigated the staff inside the museum, and finally targeted three people, namely the custodians Ding Dahua, Zhao Tongzhen, and Yang Wenhe.
Li Baoting said to the three people: "No matter who it is, no matter what the reason, if you are confused for a while, quietly take away "Shi Konghe", and now hand it back, or secretly put it in a place where people can find it, this matter will be considered to be in the past. ”
But all three denied that they had taken it.
Zhao Tongzhen's information on this person makes Li Baoting very suspicious, Zhao Tongzhen was a soldier before, and later professionally went to the museum, he almost never took it seriously when he worked, he talked about vanity and good face on weekdays, liked to be greedy and cheap, and had the habit of petty theft.
The three did not admit it, and the investigation team issued a co-investigation order to all provinces and cities across the country, and listed it as top secret.
Fast forward 8 months, and the investigation team still found nothing.
At this critical moment, after consultation between Han Bingwen and Li Baoting, they decided to come to a "turtle in an urn", and they organized a "working group" to go to the countryside to work in the countryside, and they were arranged in the countryside of Niulan Mountain in Shunyi County.
Three custodians were among them, and in the days of living in Shunyi County, everyone did not have a good time, and the most hateful thing was that some people often took their towels and soaps.
Some people reported that it was a nearby villager, but the matter was not reliable, and in the working group, there was another person named Wang Shuli.
His main task is to observe the suspects in the working group.
On February 13, 1961, when everyone was preparing to return to the city for the New Year, someone found Zhao Tongzhen sneaking the stolen goods in the straw stack into his arms.
The two wrestled, and the others heard the news, and it turned out that these "stolen goods" that Zhao Tongzhen had taken were exactly the ones that everyone had lost.
At this time, everyone also understood that it was "day and night defense, and family thieves are difficult to prevent." ”
Everyone pointed out one after another that Zhao Tongzhen should be deeply examined and dealt with.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Tongzhen called Han Bingwen of the investigation team and asked, "Did Shi Konghe find it?" ”
Han Bingwen: "No"
Zhao Tongzhen: "I want to report to the leaders and strive for meritorious service." ”
The next day, Zhao Tongzhen came to Han Bingwen's face and said, "I will break the sin and report the crime to Shi Kong and the hiding place: it is hidden in the belly of the "Big Lu Ding" leg." ”
As a result, Shi Konghe, who had been stolen for more than a year, finally returned to everyone's eyes.
Zhao Tongzhen was arrested and later sentenced to life imprisonment, and Premier Zhou Enlai was relieved to learn that Shi Konghe had found him.
Zhao Tongzhen confessed that the reason for his theft was also very simple: on weekdays, he was lazy at work, and the group leader Zhang Rong often sneered at him, and the two could not help but have a verbal relationship, so Zhao Tongzhen had the idea of stealing "Shi Konghe" and making Zhang Rong resign.
Tibetan Shi Kong and Ding
After Zhao Tongzhen stole Shi Konghe, he put it in a special cabinet in his office, and later transferred it to his home, when things were so big that he put Shi Konghe in the museum's large cup for the sake of safety.
The reason is very simple, because the superior said that only by finding Shi Konghe, this matter will be forgotten, but everyone has not been found, and Zhao Tongzhen can only turn himself in.