A farmer in Lishui county of Jiangsu province shows a robbed tomb on Thursday. Some 100 ancient tombs have been raided since 2008. (Inset) The farmer holds a discarded piece of pottery. [Cai Zhen]

Local authorities are fighting a centuries-old business - tomb robbing, which recently has been brought back to life around Nanjing, the ancient capital city of six dynasties in China.

Police and cultural relics protection department staffers are trying to catch the tomb raiders, who dream of becoming rich overnight.

About 100 ancient tombs within an area of 20 hectares in Lishui county of Nanjing were illegally excavated recently, the Nanjing-based Yangtze Evening Post reported.

"Such sites are mostly located in mountainous regions where police forces are short-handed. Local police have a difficult time providing effective protection," Cao Zhijun, director of culture heritage protection department of Nanjing Cultural Heritage Administration Bureau, told China Daily on Friday.

The exact number of affected tombs is still under investigation, Cao said. "We have sent staffs to the affected site to check how serious the problem is. The losses cannot be predicted at this stage," added Cao.

The grave site was also robbed in early 2008. Several robbers were arrested at that time, and the robbers are believed to come from the surrounding area of Lishui.

Grave robbing is often considered a high-risk, high-return business. However, the robbers may be disappointed this time, according to experts.

"The value of a piece of pottery in the black market is no more than 1,000 yuan ($147)," said Cao.

The crypt is not very large so the tombs must be for ordinary people. Therefore, the will not contain particularly valuable objects, Cao said.

Four robbers have been arrested and one is on the run, the Yangtze Evening Post reported.

A local police official surnamed Tang refused to comment on this information but stated it is partially correct. He also said that grave robbing is not serious problem in Lishui county.

Strict laws have been imposed by the Chinese government to stop grave robbing. However, the lure of making an overnight fortune has led some robbers to risk the danger, especially in this rural area where the police force is short-handed.

Some precious cultural relics have been sold overseas through the black market, resulting in the loss of historical finds.

"We do need a long-term effective management system to keep our cultural relics protected, " said Cao.

(China Daily August 29, 2009)