Stele split during alleged theft

By Yin Yeping Source:Global Times Published: 2013-1-30 23:33:01

 

A resident looks at the broken stele,  at Fahai Temple in Haidian district Wednesday. Photo: Li Hao/GT
A resident looks at the broken stele, at Fahai Temple in Haidian district Wednesday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A stele, almost all that remains of an ancient Buddhist temple, has been broken in two, possibly by thieves who were trying to remove it.

The stele was part of Fahai Temple, which dates from the early Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The ruins are now inside Jinshan Cemetery, close to the Fragrant Hills in Haidian district.

An official from Haidian district cultural heritage commission said cemetery staff had reported the damage a week ago, and police are investigating.

On Wednesday, the broken stele was still leaning on the ground where it had been left. The stele is about 3 meters tall and 20 centimeters thick and engraved with dragons, horses and an inscription from Emperor Shunzhi (1638-1661). 

The only structure remaining at the site is a reconstruction of a gate, which was rebuilt by the district cultural heritage commission in 2009. A sign on the gate says it is a district cultural protection unit.

A gatekeeper at the cemetery surnamed Zhang, said few visitors come to the site. 

"The stele has been broken for weeks now," he said.

"It must have been thieves who broke it when no one was on duty," said Zhang.

An official surnamed Zhao, from the Haidian heritage commission, said they were told about the damage to the stele on January 17.

"It's difficult to protect the steles in wild areas because of a lack of supervisors. It's unrealistic to have people watching them 24 hours a day," he said.

Zhao said they normally entrust nearby organizations such as the cemetery to supervise. 

"More financial support is needed for protection," he said.

The commission will repair the stele and build a protective fence around it, said Zhao.

Liu Zheng, from the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, said theft of these steles is becoming a big business. 

"These days, with trucks and special equipment, it's easier to rob these steles," said Liu, adding that an ancient stele such as this could be sold for over hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Liu said that there are thousands of ancient steles in town and many are not under proper protection.

"The commission should force Jinshan Cemetery to better protect the stele," he said.

On February 18, 2012, two thieves were captured by local residents trying to take steles from a temple in Qinglonghu township in Fangshan district, the Beijing Evening News reported. They were convicted of stealing national-level relics.



Posted in: Society, Metro Beijing

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