Local authorities have sacked four officials from Beijing's Changping district, after a pair of 400-year-old stone candleholder were stolen from the capital's famous Ming Tombs.
The sacked officials included the head and Party chief of the Ming Tombs Special Area Agency, and two others in charge of security and cultural heritage, the Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
A Changping government spokesperson said that the four officials were sacked for their "incompetence in the protection of cultural relics," adding that security will be improved, Xinhua reported.
On Wednesday night, the Changping government said an investigation was underway after learning of the missing candleholders on March 20. The case is still under investigation.
"Lack of responsibility is a common problem of staff with China's cultural relics," said Ni Fangliu, a Nanjing-based archeology expert.
Ni said that the Ming Tombs agency should not have let the thefts happen, as the tombs are equipped with complete monitoring facilities and the agency has enough money for security.
The mausoleums are equipped with 360-degree monitoring cameras and anti-theft systems in all tombs. Working staff patrol the area 24-7, the Beijing Youth Daily reported in 2016.
Located 40 kilometers north of downtown Beijing, the Ming Tombs were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003.The mausoleums were built for the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The missing marble candle holders were placed in front of the mausoleum of the Ming's last emperor, Chongzhen.
The missing holders attracted public attention last month when a visitor posted photographs of the tombs online. In the newer photos, two vases and an incense burner were present but the candle holders, which were visible in older photographs, were gone.
"With advanced tools, thefts of heavy cultural relics have increased these days," Ni said, adding that sometimes thieves pretend to be staff working with other cultural relics-protection departments.
Cultural relics-protection work should be more open to the public to raise the sense of responsibility for people working in the field, Ni noted.
