Seven pieces of art have been stolen from the Palace Museum inside Beijing’s former imperial palace, the Forbidden City – the first theft for 20 years.
The stolen items – which were on loan to the museum from a private collection in Hong Kong – include a purse and women’s make-up cases.
News reports say the thief got into the complex by knocking a hole in a wall.
The stolen items are said to be worth millions of dollars. Some are encrusted with precious stones.
“Certainly we can only blame the fact that our work was not thorough enough if something like this can happen,” said an official at a news conference.
The Palace Museum is based within the Forbidden City, home to the country’s emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
