Chinese police crack 5,900 cultural relic cases within three years

More than 5,900 criminal cases involving cultural relics have been solved by Chinese police since a crackdown campaign was launched in September 2020, according to the Ministry of Public Security on

Friday.

The campaign saw more than 100,000 cultural relic pieces recovered, including some 8,600 top-graded ones, such as a bronze mirror from the East Han Dynasty (25-220) and an item of porcelain ware dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

In 2022 alone, public security organs across the country cracked roughly 1,700 such criminal cases, according to the ministry.

The ministry has worked with the National Cultural Heritage Administration as well as the top court and top procuratorate to jointly combat and prevent related crimes. It also pledged continued efforts to better protect China's cultural relics in the long run.