The handover ceremony of the cultural relics involved in the case by the Public Security Bureau of Jiaxiang County, Jining City, Shandong Province, was held at the Shandong Museum on the 21st. Photo by Zhao Xiao
Jinan, 21 Oct (Xinhua) -- On October 21, the Public Security Bureau of Jiaxiang County, Jining City, Shandong Province, handed over to the Shandong Museum 49 pieces (sets) of cultural relics stolen from the tombs of high-ranking nobles in the early Western Han Dynasty, including 2 pieces (sets) of national first-class cultural relics, 9 pieces (sets) of second-class cultural relics, 24 pieces (sets) of third-class cultural relics, and 14 pieces (sets) of general cultural relics, filling the gap in the collection of cultural relics in Shandong Province.
Zheng Tongxiu, director of the Shandong Museum, introduced the bronze rod of the dragon's head and the wrong silver wood coffin. Zhao Xiaozhao
The 2,200-year-old dragon's head wrong silver wooden rod is still intact and remains elastic; the exquisite lacquer box is wrong silver tiger shaped copper town, tiger spots, tiger stripes come to life... On the same day, some of the cultural relics involved in the case were transferred to the scene to display. The reporter learned through interviews that the age of these cultural relics is concentrated in the late Warring States period to the early Western Han Dynasty, including bronze and lacquerware, with higher specifications and better preservation, which were seized by the Jiaxiang County Public Security Bureau in 2019 in the "Huang Mou et al. Reselling Cultural Relics Case".
Zheng Tongxiu, director of the Shandong Museum, and Zhao Jian, deputy governor of the Jiaxiang County People's Government and director of the Public Security Bureau, signed the transfer agreement. Photo by Zhao Xiao
Data map: The criminal suspect identifies the crime scene. Courtesy of Jiaxiang County Public Security Bureau
According to Zhao Jian, deputy governor of the Jiaxiang County People's Government and director of the Public Security Bureau, on August 13, 2019, the Jiaxiang County Public Security Bureau successfully smashed the criminal gang headed by Zhao Moumin and Zhao Mouli to excavate ancient tombs and resell cultural relics. After 5 months, the people's police who participated in the war traveled to 6 provinces and 11 cities, including Beijing, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Shandong Tai'an, Shandong Zibo, and Shandong Zaozhuang, successively arrested 18 criminal suspects, cracked 4 cases of cultural relics in 3 provinces, investigated the facts of the crime, and confiscated 49 pieces of cultural relics of the Warring States and the Western Han Dynasty, such as wooden handles and copper knot sticks and lacquer boxes, and silver tiger-shaped copper towns.
Grade I cultural relics are wrong silver tiger shaped copper town. Photo by Zhao Xiao
On January 19, 2021, the Jining Intermediate People's Court rendered a judgment in the first instance, and the criminal suspects in the case were sentenced to life imprisonment and fixed-term imprisonment of 15 years, 12 years, and 10 years, respectively. Zhao Jian said: The cultural relics seized in the "8.13" case have important archaeological and historical research value and are now handed over to the Shandong Museum for safekeeping. The public security organs will, as always, crack down on the criminal activities of cultural relics with greater efforts, and make new contributions to the protection of Chinese cultural heritage and the inheritance of the history and culture of the Chinese nation.
Grade II cultural relics Western Han Dynasty phoenix bird pattern copper chimes, lacquer cover copper. Photo by Zhao Xiao
Zheng Tongxiu, director of the Shandong Museum, said in an interview with the China News Network reporter that the number and types of cultural relics involved in the case are not only numerous and diverse, but also of good quality, which has high historical research value, and some cultural relics have filled the gap in the collection. For example, the first-class cultural relics of the dragon's head wrong silver wooden coffin copper staff, in the past also found similar bronzes, but most of the wooden trees decayed and did not exist, like this time can be well preserved, complete appearance is relatively rare, guess it was in a state of water-saturated insulation before it was unearthed. "The next step for the museum is to formulate relevant conservation plans and make these cultural relics available to the public as soon as possible."
Grade II cultural relics Warring States period lacquer cover cloud pattern copper pot. Photo by Zhao Xiao
In view of the transfer of cultural relics, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shandong Province will also guide the Shandong Museum to organize elite forces, formulate a careful and prudent protection and restoration plan according to the scientific demonstration of the current situation of cultural relics, and strive to restore the state of cultural relics to the best. At the same time, the story behind the cultural relics will be completely supplemented, and the historical and cultural connotations carried by the cultural relics will be excavated and studied, and the dignity of the cultural relics will be restored. In the subsequent exhibition, the audience will have the opportunity to see the real appearance of the handover cultural relics. (End)
Source: China News Network