Over 66,000 stolen Chinese artefacts recovered last year amid trafficking crackdown says government | South China Morning Post

Chinese authorities announced last week they recovered over 66,000 stolen cultural relics in 2021, including catching 650 gangs who were looting and trafficking the artefacts. The National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) and the Ministry of Public Security said the two agencies had solved 3,000 cases during a crackdown last year and had arrested all but one of the 62 most-wanted suspects they identified. Song Xinchao, the deputy director of the NCHA, said he hoped the "powerful campaign" had acted as a deterrent against future crimes . "Potential hazards threatening the safety of cultural relics are still common," he said. "Our…