Accountability to protect antiquities

Crucial work has been done to safeguard China's cultural treasures, and more responsibilities are being placed on the government's shoulders, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"More efforts will be made to hold officials accountable (when accidents happen)," Luo Shugang, minister of culture, said in Beijing during the two sessions.

Last year, a pair of stone candelabra found in a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperor's tomb was stolen in Beijing, but local officials covered up the theft for months. After the artifacts were traced, 17 administrators, including six department heads, were disciplined for the incident.