2016年CRI China Sentences 22 in Largest Tomb Robbery Case（在线收听）

A court in the northeastern province of Liaoning has handed out sentences to 22 people for the illegal excavation and trading of cultural relics.

The leader of the group has been sentenced to death with a 2-year reprieve, meaning he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Others have also been handed life sentences, as well as shorter terms, depending on their involvement.

The group was busted plundering a Neolithic site at Niuheliang.

This area of Liaoning, situated on the middle and upper reaches of the Laoha and Yingjin Rivers, was home to the Hongshan Culture, which dates back some 47-hundred years.

However, local police chief Li Chao admits the group was able to work for months before they finally figured out what was happening.

"The sites are located in a very remote area, so it was difficult to spot the tomb robbers. We had no tip-offs in the case. Our team independently and actively opened the investigation on our own."

A total of 175 suspects have been arrested for robbing the sites.

The groups were able to unearth over a thousand different relics worth an estimated 500-million yuan.

Archaeologist Wang Wei with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says this is a sign that more monitoring of important archaeological sites is needed in China.

"We currently lack a comprehensive monitoring and reporting system to protect our cultural heritage. Local archaeological departments are usually very thinly staffed. We can't simply rely on them or the police to monitor vast and remote areas. What we can do is to set up a more comprehensive monitoring network, such as employing villagers to patrol the sensitive areas. Once illegal activities are discovered and reported, the informants should be well rewarded."

Several archaeologists and artifact dealers are also suspected of being involved in the tomb raiding in Liaoning.

One particular researcher has admitted to stealing a rare ornate coiled jade dragon after it was discovered.

Wang Wei admits greed is a powerful temptation to overcome.

"This case reminds us that we can't rely entirely on archaeologists' professional ethics or personal character to protect relics. When we go on large excavations, the trips are often organized with many people involved. But at smaller tombs, usually only 2 people end up going. When staff numbers are this low, yes, there are opportunities for people involved to hide their discoveries."

Of the 10 major finds in 2013 in China, only 3 were organized by trained archaeologists.

The remaining 7 were excavations done after-the-fact, after tomb raiders were able to get their first.

Wang Wei says the solution to this problem is to not go out and actively excavate all the sites before criminals do, but to strengthen prevention measures, relying on all members of society to monitor and report unlawful activities at these sites.

In 2015, the tomb of a Marquis of Haihun from the Han Dynasty was discovered in the province of Jiangxi, yielding large amounts of gold and other precious items.

Authorities credit the scale of the find to local villagers who reported illegal excavations at the time, cutting off the tomb raiders before they were able to fully access the site.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.