Chinese archaeologists are facing a spate of professional tomb raiding.
The situation has been highlighted by the arrests of 12 alleged grave robbers in Sichuan province. They are suspected of stealing artifacts from a tomb dating to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in Ziyang, in a case worth about 1 million yuan ($161,000), police said.
The stolen pieces include two carved doors of the tomb chamber, as well as valuable items buried in it, Huaxi Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday.
One of the suspects, an antiques collector surnamed Liu, said he kept some of the most valuable items in his shop, while the rest were sold to other dealers.
In June, the tomb of Liu Yongfu, a national hero who fought in the Sino-French War and died in 1917, was desecrated by criminals who almost emptied it. The site, in the mountains of Qinzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was placed under State protection in 2001.
In 2012, three stone sculptures in the mausoleum of the Jingjiang Prince, a member of the regional royalty in Guangxi during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), were stolen. A warrior sculpture, also in the mausoleum, was "beheaded" two days later.
"Tomb raiders dig in the hope of finding precious burial objects," said Su Dong, curator of Guangxi's Qinzhou Museum. "The Liu Yongfu tomb, for instance, has been targeted several times since the 1990s."
Liang Xiao, a relics protection expert, said the national fervor for antique collecting has also contributed to the phenomenon.
"Collecting antiques has become hugely popular in China. Criminals cater to the fervor by stealing and selling historical artifacts." Liang said.
Liang believes the popularity of the best-selling Chinese novel The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, as well as its spinoffs, has worsened the problem.
Mo Zhidong, an official at the Guangxi provincial Department of Cultural Relics, said tombs and ancient ruins are usually situated in the countryside, making surveillance very difficult.
"Due to limitations, such as the lack of power supply and other poor infrastructure in remote areas, cameras are difficult to install," Mo said. "So when grave robbing happens, it is very hard to track suspects."
In Guangxi, 17 of the 66 historical sites protected at national level are in remote areas, as are most of the 355 ancient sites under regional protection.
A shortage of supervisory personnel makes the situation even worse.
Mo said: "Cultural relics departments in most Chinese counties have about four security staff members each. Imagine the difficulty of protecting a vast area of ruins with only four people."
Zhou Keda, a researcher at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, said the government should increase public awareness of the issue and provide more funding, especially for dedicated staff members and surveillance equipment.
"Law enforcement departments should also improve supervision of the trade in artifacts to prevent rampant illegal business," he said.
