On Tuesday, 26 May, Chinese authorities arrested 175 people over the theft and trafficking of more than 1,000 artefacts worth an estimated $80m (500m RMB), in what the government is calling the largest police raid in the country’s history.
Those arrested include four archaeologists and one “master raider”, identified only by his last name Yao, who used feng shui to find the best places to dig for objects.
The Chinese Cultural Relics Protection Bureau began investigating the illegal operation in June last year when they found signs of digging near Neolithic ruins in Liaoning province. According to the New York Times, police arrested three people who led them to the larger network.
