Former Chinese museum director jailed for 3 years in art-selling scandal

Key facts

• Former Nanjing Museum director Xu Huping was sentenced to three years in prison.
• Xu was also fined 200,000 yuan ($29,784).
• The investigation was triggered by the disappearance of a donated masterpiece from the museum's vaults.
• The masterpiece later appeared at a commercial auction.
• The case is part of a broader probe into the mishandling and illicit sale of cultural relics.
• More than two dozen officials faced disciplinary action.

Xu Huping, the 81-year-old former director of the Nanjing Museum, has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined 200,000 yuan ($29,784) for taking bribes. The conviction concludes a high-profile investigation that began after a donated masterpiece disappeared from the museum's vaults and later surfaced at a commercial auction. Xu led one of China's prominent museums for over a decade. His sentencing is part of a wider inquiry into the mishandling and illicit sale of cultural relics, which has resulted in disciplinary action against more than two dozen officials, according to Xinhua News Agency.