A museum theft in which a curator stole precious artworks and replaced them with his own forgery has aroused public outrage in China.
Experts say more needs to be done to protect antiquities and works of art housed in museums.
Xiao Yuan, former library curator of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, has been charged with selling authentic art works and replacing them with fakes that he forged on his own.
Prosecutors claim that Xiao took advantage of his post to steal more than 140 works between 2002 and 2010, including traditional Chinese paintings by renowned artists Zhang Daqian and Qi Baishi.
Ma Weidu, an antiques collector, says "inside jobs" have become a trend in museum thefts.
"Before the 1980s, most relic thefts were break-in cases: burglars broke into museums to steal items. In the 21st century, as advanced technologies were introduced and large investments were poured into this field, break-in cases committed by invaders have decreased. Most museum thefts are now inside jobs."
Ma emphasizes that without strict implementation of regulations, even the most advanced security systems cannot stop theft from happening.
"For example, we have regulations saying that anyone who enters a compartment has to be accompanied with at least one person. When staff members are familiar with each other, it may be harder to implement the regulations, as some lazy ones will say 'I will stay outside and wait, you can just move on'. If those things happen, the regulations become a useless scrap of paper."
Prosecutors say Xiao Yuan sold 125 items for more than 34 million yuan via two auction companies between 2004 and 2011.
Dong Guoqiang, an auction industry insider, says it is hard for auction companies to verify origins of objects for auction.
"According to the auction law, clients should make clear the origins and defects of the objects for auction. But auctioneers could only listen to their stories; they are unable to confirm them. After all, auction enterprises are not the police."
Xiao Yuan's case was exposed when someone found an official stamp of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art on an item for auction in Hong Kong. The person had doubts and called the police.
Dong Guoqiang explains that such items are common at auctions.
"It is ordinary to see an official stamp on a painting for auction. Such cases are not rare. You cannot jump to the conclusion that the item was stolen from certain institution merely based on a stamp. "
Ma Weidu, the antiques collector, warns auction companies to stay alert.
"When one person has a lot of paintings sealed with official stamps, auction companies should be alert. Sometimes, the verification is very simple, you can just make a phone call."
Xiao has already pleaded guilty. The court is yet to hand down a sentence.
