Cultural relics theft runs rampant in Shanxi

Guandi Temple, first built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has fallen into ruin, with collapsed walls and overgrown grass and weeds in its courtyard. [Photo/www.cntv.cn]

The theft and looting of cultural relics like stone carvings and Chinese guardian lions from ancient architecture runs rampant in Changzhi city of North China's Shanxi province, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) report.

Based on the investigation, transactions involving thousands of items of looted cultural relics were found in the local black market and the dealers claimed to earn huge profits.

To better protect the cultural relics in Qianbao village of Changzhi, local villagers voluntarily took turns guarding the sites, but thieves still came from time to time, driven by the lucrative but illegal trade.

Today, old buildings like Tainxian Temple and Guandi Temple in the village have been damaged to varying degrees.

Guandi Temple, first built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has fallen into ruin, with collapsed walls and overgrown grass and weeds in its courtyard.

Niu Yanping, the former leader of Qianbao village, said that Guandi Temple is the treasure of the village that has been passed down by ancestors, and generations of people here attach great affection to it.

However, Qianbao village is poor and cannot spare any funds to renovate the historical buildings like Guandi Temple or make arrangements for their protection, which leads to rampant theft of cultural relics, Niu said.

Under such a severe situation, Shanxi provincial government on Wednesday issued instructions to strengthen the protection of cultural relics and historical sites, but the report said the loss is irreparable.