Police recover stolen relics from ancient Hangzhou tomb

All 175 pieces of relics stolen from an ancient tomb in Lin'an district of Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, have been recovered, local police said on Wednesday afternoon.

A criminal gang, led by a suspect surnamed Jiang, had been excavating and stealing ancient relics from the Tomb of King Qian Liu since May 2019, and local police in Lin'an found clues related to the tomb-raiding in March last year.

Upon investigation, Zhejiang police arrested 39 suspects, including Jiang, when he was about to sell the relics in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, in May last year. These included ancient olive-green porcelains, ancient swords and gold jade waistbelts.

King Qian Liu, founder and first ruler of the Wuyue Kingdom (907-978 AD), was born and buried in Lin'an, Hangzhou. Hangzhou was once the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom and its prosperity owes much to Qian.