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Beijing Court Tries Robbers of Ancient Tomb
A Beijing court Thursday opened to try seven suspects who robbed a 2,000-year-old tomb.
The tomb, dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A. D.) and located near Laoshan Hill in Shijingshan District, was excavated in March last year.
The tomb is believed to be the third important archeological discovery in Beijing, after the Ming Tombs and the Dabaotai Tomb. The seven suspects were among the first to discover the tomb.
The suspects confessed that they robbed the tomb on several occasions from May to November 1999.
Dong Fusheng, 36, who is unemployed and lives near Laoshan, had his eye on the tomb for a long time. He was interested in antiques and after studying a book on archaeology, he set down to think about robbing the tomb.
When he learned that there might be some ancient tombs around Laoshan, he went to the spot and investigated in the place. He told his neighbor Zhang Senlin about the possible tomb at the southeast slope of the Laoshan Hill and took Zhang to see it.
From May to December of 1999, Zhang along with two others started digging in the tomb with shovels and picks at night. Three more joined them at the end of November. The amount of earth they dug out became very large and in December local residents suspected them for robbing the tomb and they immediately reported to the police.
The tomb was identified as having valuable cultural relics by the country's archaeology bureau. The seven were accused of destroying the tomb and relics inside. The court will make verdict against them soon.
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