Sentencing standards for tomb robbery in China

In China, tomb robbery is a crime.

According to Article 328 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, the act of excavating ancient cultural sites and ancient tombs with historical, artistic and scientific value shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and a fine; if the circumstances are relatively minor, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or control and a fine; if the circumstances are serious, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, life imprisonment or death penalty and a fine or confiscation of property.

Specific circumstances and sentencing standards for tomb robbery

The excavation of ancient cultural sites and ancient tombs that are identified as national key cultural relics protection units and provincial cultural relics protection units: a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, life imprisonment or death penalty, a fine or confiscation of property.

The ringleader of the group that excavates ancient cultural sites and ancient tombs: a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, life imprisonment or death penalty, a fine or confiscation of property.

‌Repeated excavation of ancient cultural relics and ancient tombs: sentenced to more than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment, life imprisonment or death penalty, and a fine or confiscation of property‌. ‌Whoever excavates ancient cultural relics and ancient tombs and steals precious cultural relics or causes serious damage to precious cultural relics: sentenced to more than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment, life imprisonment or death penalty, and a fine or confiscation of property‌.