Punishments have been meted out to officials responsible for damages done to priceless Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses at Han Emperor Chu's tomb on Shizishan, Xuzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, Yangtze Evening Post reported.

Orders were given to take out plenty of warriors and horses for "repair" without higher authority's permission. The work was not done in a scientific way and no experts were invited to the spot for direction. As a result, parts of the relics were seriously damaged and can not be restored.

Officials responsible for the damage had been removed from office and a new repairing plan, with experts' opinion sought, has been submitted to the Culture Department of Jiangsu Province and State Cultural Relics Bureau for examination.

(People’s Daily 05/22/2001)