Trending in Beijing: Tomb Raiders, Comet Spotters, and a Sigh of Relief for Theatre Goers

Nicole Sun | Jul 23, 2020 11:30 am | Add a comment | 313 reads

The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this? Trending in Beijing is a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.

Five jailed for raiding ancient tomb in Beijing

Five people have been sentenced to seven months in prison and given fines of between RMB 10,000 and RMB 30,000 for raiding a tomb dating back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a Beijing court said Monday. Netizens followed the story using the hastag 'Five thieves caught robbing a Qing Dynasty temple‘ #5人盗窃北京清朝古墓获刑#.

A defendant surnamed Shi and four others were found guilty of excavating items such as silver bracelets and other accessories buried in a tomb at a deserted yard in Chaoyang District on the night of Jan 6, 2020, according to the People's Court of Chaoyang District.

Police caught the five offenders at the scene of the crime and promptly seized all the items. However, the damage done to the tomb, which is of significant historical value, is irreversible.

Given that the cache had seemingly eluded professional archaeologists for all these years, one commenter satirized the situation by asking, “Why are tomb robbers always faster at discovering ancient tombs than experts?”

Comet NEOWISE spotted in the sky over Beijing suburb

According to the Beijing Planetarium, at the beginning of July, a large comet appeared in the sky sometime around dawn. After mid-July, the comet dubbed NEOWISE – officially numbered 2020F3 – will appear during the evening in the low-altitude northwest, with an elevation that increases each day, ostensibly leading to better observation conditions. Unfortunately, however, as the comet continues its trajectory, its brightness will become increasingly darker.

Discussing under the hashtag, 'NEOWISE Comet' #新智彗星#, some netizens pondered on the amazing fact that the comet will not be visible from Earth again for another 6,800 years. "What will humanity even be like in 6,800 years," mused one commenter. "That comet will be on its lonely journey through space forever, and we are just a flicker in time in comparison."

Chaoyang theater (temporarily) closes due to COVID-19

A TikTok video posted earlier this week showed a banner at the entrance of the Chaoyang Theater bearing the words "Chaoyang Theater Fresh Produce Services Center." This led many (including the humbly fallible staff of the Beijinger) to think that Chaoyang Theater was closing for good and being replaced with a produce market. There was, in fact, a produce market inside the theater, but the cultural center will not be shut down. Instead, given the moratorium on live performances due to COVID-19, the produce market simply got its 15 minutes of fame by taking up the signage out front.