A museum in Yunnan province held a donation ceremony on Monday for a man who voluntarily donated bronze antiques.
At the end of 2021, the man, Wang Wei, was stopped by an elderly man as he was driving. The man said he wanted to sell Wang something. In his bag, Wang saw an ancient bronze sword and some bronze fragments, Hubei Daily reported.
"I asked him how he got these, and he answered that he found them when he was plowing his farmland. After careful examination and comparison, I thought they were authentic. Finally, I paid him 5,600 yuan ($796)," Wang said.
Wang consulted a netizen who works with antiques. The netizen confirmed that the bronze items were genuine.
Glad to hear the good news, Wang learned on the internet that people who get involved in the trafficking of antiques can get up to five years in prison — or more than five years in serious cases.
Wang contact local cultural relics protection department and donated the items. The Baoshan Museum paid Wang 2,000 yuan.
In January, the museum confirmed that Wang's cultural relics dated to the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) and the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).
Twenty-nine fragments came from a bronze bracelet.
On Monday, the Baoshan Museum held a donation ceremony for Wang.
Wang Lirui, director of the museum said Wang Wei's donation offers new material for bronze research and increases the number of antiques in the museum, Yunnan Daily reported.
"I want to express gratitude to him and praise his behavior in complying with the law," Wang Lirui said.
