An exhibition intending to publicize achievements of the crackdown on crimes related to cultural relics opened at the National Museum of China on Dec 26.

More than 750 recovered cultural relics, including bronze ware, jade ware, gold and silver vessels and porcelains of the Neolithic Age to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are on display at the exhibition.

Several departments including the Supreme People's Court (SPC), the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the State Bureau of Cultural Relics (SACH) have cooperated to crack down on relic-related crimes to protect national cultural relics since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

Judicial interpretations of punishments of relic-related crimes were issued and special actions to fight against such crimes were launched, leading to a large number of valuable relics being recovered and protected.

According to the opening ceremony, courts at various levels in China accepted 2,217 cases and concluded 2,197 cases related to cultural relics. A total of 1,060 people were sentenced to more than five years of fixed-term imprisonment, with a severe-penalty rate of 21.71 percent.

The crimes involved smuggling, stealing, damaging, reselling for profit and illegally resurrecting cultural relics.

The event was sponsored by the SPC, the SPP, the MPS, the SACH and the National Museum of China.