1 million yuan reward for stolen stone lions

Authorities in Shaanxi province are offering a reward for information about the theft of two cultural relics — a pair of stone lions — 14 years ago.

A notice issued on Monday by Liquan county's court, procuratorate and public security bureau, said the reward for useful information has been set at up to 1 million yuan ($138,000).

It said the stone lions are national key cultural relics. They originally stood at the gate of an imperial tomb from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), near the tomb of the seventh Tang emperor.

The notice said that in the early hours of April 3, 2010, multiple perpetrators used scaffolding, chains and a three-wheel vehicle to steal the stone lions under the cover of night.

Each lion is approximately 1.5 meters tall, 1.3 meters long, and 0.8 meters wide at the chest, and weighs around two metric tons.

"Protecting national cultural relics is our unshirkable duty," the notice said.

"The public security department will vigorously advance the investigation to ensure the case is solved promptly and the stolen cultural relics are recovered in a timely manner."

It said it is the responsibility of every citizen to protect cultural relics and assist public security departments in solving cases and urged the public to report clues.

For those who assisted or participated in the crime, the notice offered leniency, mitigation or exemption from punishment if they come forward truthfully. Conversely, it warned that those who conceal the crime or refuse to repent will face severe punishment once caught.

The Liquan public security bureau said some clues have been received and verified over the years, the Shaanxi-based Huashang Daily reported.