2016年CRI China Sentences 22 in Largest Tomb Robbery Case

 

A court in the northeastern province of Liaoning has handed out sentences to 22 people for the illegal excavation¹ and trading of cultural relics².

The leader of the group has been sentenced to death with a 2-year reprieve³, 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 busted⁴ plundering⁵ a Neolithic⁶ site at Niuheliang.

This area of Liaoning, situated⁷ 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 actively⁸ opened the investigation⁹ on our own."

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

The groups were able to unearth¹⁰ 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 dealers¹¹ are also suspected of being involved in the tomb raiding in Liaoning.

One particular researcher has admitted to stealing a rare ornate coiled jade¹² dragon after it was discovered.

Wang Wei admits greed is a powerful temptation to overcome.

"This case reminds us that we can't rely entirely¹³ on archaeologists' professional ethics¹⁴ or personal character to protect relics. When we go on large excavations¹⁵, 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 excavate¹⁶ 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 fully¹⁷ access the site.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

2 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

3 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

4 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

5 plundering   

掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The troops crossed the country, plundering and looting as they went. 部队经过乡村，一路抢劫掳掠。
• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。

6 neolithic   

adj.新石器时代的

参考例句：

• Cattle were first domesticated in Neolithic times.新石器时代有人开始驯养牛。
• The monument was Stone Age or Neolithic.该纪念碑是属于石器时代或新石器时代的。

7 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

8 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 unearth   

v.发掘，掘出，从洞中赶出

参考例句：

• Most of the unearth relics remain intact.大多数出土文物仍保持完整无损。
• More human remains have been unearthed in the north.北部又挖掘出了更多的人体遗骸。

11 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

12 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

15 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

16 excavate   

vt.挖掘，挖出

参考例句：

• They plan to excavate a large hole.他们计划挖个大洞。
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。

17 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。