One day in October 1970, at a construction site of Ha Gia hamlet in Xi’an city, workers were engrossed in work when a very loud scream resounded. An old farmer called out: “Look, what is this?”
The other workers all stopped their work and ran to see. They saw a simple ceramic vase that appeared to be antique. People asked each other: “Is this a treasure?”.
The old farmer carefully opened the lid of the ceramic pot, and inside there was a glimmer of light. Turns out there was gold in the jar. Everyone was stunned by this scene. After discussing, they decided to hand over the ceramic vase to the Shaanxi Provincial Museum.
The farmer found an ancient ceramic vase containing gold. (Photo: Sohu)
The museum’s archaeologists found a large amount of gold, silver and many gem artifacts in the vase. After the appraisal, they determined that these antiques were the burial goods of a Tang dynasty emperor, dating back more than 1,000 years. The amount of gold in the ceramic vase weighs up to 5.5 kg.
This important find immediately attracted the attention of the museum’s management. They sent a team of experts to survey the area around the discovery of the ceramic vase in the hope of finding other artifacts.
Indeed, archaeologists have found more than 1,000 items of silver, jade, ancient coins and precious medicinal herbs… of very high value. They put it all on research and restoration.
Half a year later, the Shaanxi Provincial Museum held an exhibition, publicly displaying the treasures found in Hejia Village. However, a strange thing happened. The ancient gold plated when discovered weighed 5.5 kg, but when they were weighed again to bring to the exhibition, it was only 4 kg.
The loss of 1.5 kg of paper gilding for unknown reasons raised suspicions. The public asked the Shaanxi Provincial Museum to give a clear answer.
The paper gold foil that the farmer found weighed 5.5 kg. (Photo: Sohu)
On the one hand, the management of the museum sent more guards to protect the paper gold, and on the other hand opened an investigation. Two months later, the paper gold layer decreased by another 240 grams, then a few days later it decreased by another 63.7 grams. This worries the experts immensely. Obviously, the gilded paper is strictly protected, anyone who touches it is recorded, it is impossible to steal.
In the end, the Shaanxi Museum invited famous industry experts to help and the truth came to light. As it turned out, the gold was stored in a ceramic pot and buried underground for a long time, the humid underground environment made the inside of the ceramic pot also full of moisture.
The water did not completely evaporate when the experts weighed the paper for the first time. As time goes by, the water evaporates, so the weight of the new gold foil becomes lighter and lighter. When the mystery was solved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
