Two people were stabbed to death on Friday in the Forbidden City, a vast complex in Beijing of vermilion-painted imperial halls and stone courtyards that is now one of the capital’s biggest tourist attractions.
The attack occurred at a staff cafeteria in the Palace Museum, as the complex is officially known, said the state-run Xinhua news agency. In a statement posted online, the Public Security Bureau said the assailant, a 49-year-old employee surnamed Zheng, stabbed two colleagues, one of whom died instantly. The attacker was taken into custody after attempting to commit suicide, Chinese media reported. A photo of the crime scene, posted on the Sina Weibo microblog by the Beijing News, showed blood splattered on the floor beneath tables.
Once the sumptuous dwelling of 24 Chinese emperors and their hordes of soldiers, courtiers and concubines, the Forbidden City draws tourists from across China and the globe. Chinese media reported that the stabbings occurred in an area closed to tourists, though fights and thefts in recent years have brought security flaws to light.
In September, footage of a brawl outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which was published online, left many wondering at the complete absence of security guards. In an interview with the state-run China Central Television, the curator of the Palace Museum, Shan Jixiang, complained that there were too few guards on hand. “We’re really shorthanded,” he said. “Just imagine, 53 security guards scattered in an area of more than one square kilometer.”
People are not the only ones left unprotected. In 2011, a farmer named Shi Bokui broke into the Hall of Abstinence and stole nine artifacts before being caught hours later at an Internet cafe. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison and fined $2,100. At the time of his conviction in 2012, Xinhua reported that officials were upgrading the museum’s security with advanced equipment and technology.
No comments:
Post a Comment