5 Tang Dynasty murals complete long journey home

"We got information about the murals from the collector and then made hard efforts to have them returned on March 17 this year," Han said.

The coffin and murals were both stolen from the tomb of Wu Huifei (699 - 737), concubine of Tang Xuanzong (685 - 762), the seventh emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Experts found that the five murals were all high-grade cultural relics, of which three had been ranked as State top class relics with proficient painting skills. The initial research on the murals showed that the figures in the murals are palace maids.

Xu Tao, a researcher with Shaanxi provincial cultural relics identification center, said similar murals have been seen in around 100 ancient tombs during archaeological excavations but few have been as well preserved as the murals that were returned. Xu said such murals can only stand the test of time if they have the right environment, because air, humidity and light damages the colors.

"Such well-preserved murals are rare art treasures and they can provide valuable information about the person buried in the tomb and the period in which she lived," Xu said.

Du Hangwei, director of the Xi'an public security bureau, said that the success in bringing back the ancient coffin and murals sets a good example for police departments in cracking down on relics robbery.