Chinese Statue Theft Brings Death Penalty
- Share via
BEIJING — A court in the Chinese city of Xian has sentenced a peasant to death for stealing a statue head from the Qin tomb museum, whose life-size terra cotta warrior figures are among China’s best-known tourist attractions.
The newspaper People’s Daily said the peasant, Wang Gangdi, and three other people were arrested in June after they tried to sell the cultural relic for $81,000.
The hangar-like museum near Xian houses some of the thousands of life-size terra cotta warriors that guard the main entrance of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di, the emperor who unified China in 221 BC and linked parts of the Great Wall.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
