GoKunming Forums

Metal detectors

michael2015 (784 posts) • 0

Without trying to be smug - metal detectors highly encouraged in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The USA and Vietnam left behind a lot of partially buried garbage, in the form of land mines.

Famers and children typically find them by accident...with unpleasant results.

debaser (647 posts) • 0

@mighael2015 - I wouldn't recommend digging about down there - unless you want to become a statistic.
@mike4g_air - don't know of any clubs here, sorry. Come to think of it I've never even seen a metal detector in Kunming... I would also like to know about the legality. On a side note, have you seen Detectorists, a BBC series?

JanJal (1243 posts) • 0

This:

md-hunter.com/[...]

No idea where that site gets the info, but says it's not allowed.

Then in this thread: www.treasurenet.com/[...]

There is one commenter metal detecting in (western) China without anyone minding.

I would guess, that a random Chinese will think that you are surveying for mining or something else rather than just hobbying, and that would be illegal without relevant permits.

And if you do find something (like old coins), it will obviously all belong to state.

Perhaps relevant:

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics

"Article 29 The state shall give appropriate moral encouragement or material awards to units or persons for any of the following deeds: [...] (4) timely communication of information on, or delivery of, the cultural relics discovered, which facilitates their protection"

Peter99 (1246 posts) • 0

Not allowed. Might bring you in big trouble. You dont want to be the laowai caught with a metal detector.

Peter99 (1246 posts) • 0

We got one from HK and were going to find some treasures - this was partly a joke thing, nothing serious - until we realized it was a big deal doing something like this. So we never tried it, since we learned its illegal, and very much so. We got as far having it in a bag, going ‘treasure hunting’ when the cops raided a train station and went through all bags except ours - since we were laowais. But we had so many beers so we didnt bother ‘hunt’. This was same time there was a big deal with treasures from the old summer palace in france and it could have been a bloody disaster the whole thing. Next year story about grave robber getting death sentence as ‘warning’ to others. Well, like I said, we never tried it, as we learned its illegal, cost 3000hk$ and not even batteries were put in. But better than ending up in news and jail. In Thailand its legal and many other Southeast Asian countries.

Juliven (4 posts) • +1

1. What ever you find, it belongs to the Government.
(The fifth article of the law on cultural relics stipulates that all the relics of the underground, inland water and territorial waters in People's Republic of China are owned by the state.)
2. You might be thought of as a spy

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