Another serious case of antiquities vandalism in China

A 2,000-year-old terracotta army statue was toppled. ( Video : Independent.co)

According to Jimu News, a Chinese tourist climbed over a fence and jumped into the display area of the world- famous Terracotta Army in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, damaging two ancient terracotta warriors.

Witnesses at the scene described that the man initially jumped down to the middle level, from where he continued to jump to the bottom of pit number 3, which is 5.4 meters deep. After standing up, he touched the terracotta warrior statues and then unexpectedly pushed both statues over. The incident happened so suddenly that many people did not have time to react.

The local museum quickly closed temporarily, asking visitors to leave the area.

According to an investigation by police in Lindong District (Xi'an City, China), the 30-year-old man surnamed Sun, who allegedly knocked over the terracotta warrior statues, has been identified as having mental health issues. The incident is still under investigation. Experts are also assessing the extent of damage to the two armored terracotta warrior statues that were pushed over.

To enhance security, the site has deployed additional security personnel, assigned staff to patrol regularly within the museum, and requested visitors to strictly adhere to civilized visiting regulations.

This is not the first time Chinese artifacts have been vandalized. On February 5, 2025, the site also recorded a similar incident when a tourist jumped into pit number 1 to "get a closer look." However, that incident did not cause any damage to the ancient terracotta warriors.

In September 2023, according to CCTV, Chinese police received a report that a gap had been opened in the 32nd section of the Great Wall. A 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman had used an excavator to break through the wall to create a shortcut. Authorities said the actions of the two individuals caused "irreparable" damage to the integrity and safety of that section of the wall.

In 2023, two people were arrested for digging through a section of the Great Wall of China to create a shortcut.
(Photo: Straitstimes.com)

Currently, preserving the Great Wall of China is one of China's priorities, as approximately 30% of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty (equivalent to 1,962 km) has disappeared, according to 2015 statistics. According to Chinese media, the wall was damaged by rain and wind, and bricks were stolen by local residents for house construction.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/them-mot-vu-pha-hoai-co-vat-nghiem-trong-tai-trung-quoc-post326111.html