It is clear that not only underground cultural relics, but also underwater cultural relics, such as some sunken ships at the bottom of the sea, or cultural relics washed to the bottom of the river after diversion, belong to the state. If cultural relics are found in construction or agricultural labor, they should be stopped immediately and reported to the cultural relics department, which will be handled by archaeologists.
But there is actually a time limit here, which is limited to 1949, when the new China was founded.
Before 1949, for example, in the late Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China, some people discovered cultural relics from underground and underwater, which can be used as family heirlooms or spread to the market.
After 1949, cultural relics found underground and underwater should be owned by the state if there are no special circumstances.
The law does not prohibit folk collections.
In the "Cultural Relics Protection Law", there are also relevant provisions on folk collection of cultural relics. Article 50 provides that:
Citizens, legal persons and other organizations other than cultural relics collection units may collect cultural relics obtained in the following ways:
(1) Inheriting or accepting gifts according to law;
(2) purchased from a cultural relic store;
(three) from the auction of cultural relics auction business;
(4) Cultural relics legally owned by individual citizens are exchanged or transferred according to law;
(five) other legal means as prescribed by the state.
Therefore, some cultural relics handed down from ancient times, or those unearthed before 1949, are actually allowed to be collected and sold by the people. Naturally, no one said anything when such a cultural relic got the treasure hunt program.
However, allowing private collections does not mean that everything can be collected and traded. Private collection of state-owned cultural relics is strictly prohibited, and it is also forbidden to collect and sell murals, sculptures and building components in state-owned immovable cultural relics.
For example, after 1949, some people dug up cultural relics underground, whether they were stolen or accidentally found, according to the law, they could not be used as folk collections.
For example, if someone steals the back or other parts from an ancient building, it is not allowed to buy or sell the collection.