For those of you who missed it, “Newsweek” magazine published a very interesting article written by Oliver Steeds entitled, “The Hidden Grave of History’s Greatest Warrior” in the December 10, 2012 edition of the magazine. You can read the article on-line at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/12/02/the-hidden-grave-of-history-s-greatest-warrior.html. The article is about the hunt for the tomb of Genghis Khan. More importantly however, it raises many pertinent questions about the protection of cultural history that foreign visitors and expats in Mongolia and China need to think about before they run afoul of the law.
For the sake of discussion, let’s talk about John Smith who has just relocated to China or Mongolia to set up and operate a business. John does all the things he needs to do to comply with the laws of the country he is in. He has all of his ducks in line, his business up and running, and he then finds himself with some spare time on his hands to explore his surroundings more thoroughly, maybe buy a few souvenirs for the folks at home,; maybe some artifacts from local vendors that would be cool to send to friends and family. Before shelling out a single yuan or tugrik however, a neon sign saying, CAVEAT EMPTOR should begin flashing inside his head!
Let’s go back to “Newsweek” and Genghis Khan. The hunt for the hidden grave of Genghis Khan by so many people, legitimate archeologists and grave robbers alike, throws a spotlight on the theft of artifacts and antiquities and there illegal sale. In his article, Oliver Steeds writes about the growing problem of stolen artifacts and the subsequent illegal sale of them in Mongolia to foreigners.
“Officials are right to be concerned, as grave robbing in Mongolia is a growing problem, with middlemen driving around the countryside and paying locals to dig up burial sites. The looted artifacts are then smuggled out of the country and sold at markets in Hong Kong and China, says Erdenebat, the professor at the National University in Ulan Bator.
Turning to a cupboard, Erdenebat pulls out a collapsing cardboard box from which a bone precariously protrudes. “This is all that’s left from one burial site that was recently raided in Bayankhongor province. They took anything they assumed had value and left the bones, boots, and clothes,” he says, as he lays down a crumbling 13th-century leather boot along with the owner’s shinbone…
A visit to a few local antique shops confirms that officials are right to be worried about looting, with shopkeepers only too willing to sell off ill-gotten relics. At one shop tucked away on aptly named Tourist Street in downtown Ulan Bator, the owner offers a gold piece even finer than that in Erdenebat’s collection. With a price tag of $35,000, he claims it’s been dug up from a grave in Khentii province. Other items include an elegant stirrup engraved with dragons and possibly used by one of Genghis’s generals. It is priced at $10,000. A water jug in bronze and dating from the same era is marked at $30,000. The most expensive item, though, is a $180,000 three-inch gold carved horse from the Hunnu period “excavated” in the Kerulen Valley, the homeland of the Mongols.”
“It’s impossible to know how many graves are being looted, but it must be in the thousands. All we do know is that it’s getting worse,” says Erdenebat. “Take Bayangol province. They’ve been having some harsh winters and no rain in the summers for years, and their herds are dying. With nothing left, the herders are starting to dig up their graves searching for gold. It’s survival.”
Returning to John Smith and his shopping expedition, whether he is in Mongolia or China he may quite possibly be presented by some vendor with the opportunity to buy a cool artifact or artifacts. Whether he buys the artifact innocently, or deliberately, knowing it is illegal to do so, he may face serious legal penalties in both China and Mongolia. Therefore, as always, Let The Buyer Beware!
China has issued strict laws punishing anyone who is caught stealing artifacts. If convicted of breaking into ancient cultural sites or tombs that have historic, artistic or scientific value, criminals will face from three to 10 years in prison besides having to pay fines, said Li Guifang, vice director of the All-China Lawyers’ Association’s criminal defence department.
If their crimes are serious, they will spend from 10 years to the rest of their lives behind bars, he said. An amendment to the country’s Criminal Law, adopted on May 1, 2011, makes those punishments stop short of the death penalty.
You do not want to have anything to do with the theft of or with buying illegal artifacts in China or Mongolia! It’s just not worth the risk!
Hawkeye in China
– LEX SMITH