Berek Sawuk, a local herdsman in Qinghe county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, finds 17-pound gold nugget with an estimated value of more than $255,000 near a mining site. [photo/chinanews.com]

A local herdsman in Qinghe county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region found a 7.85-kilogram gold nugget shaped like the map of the Chinese mainland last week, sparking heated public debate on the ownership of the nugget, which is reportedly worth more than $255,000. Comments:

Although being no cultural relic, the gold nugget in the special shape found by a Xinjiang herdsman is of great cultural value due to its shape and should be possessed by a museum instead of an individual.

Of course, the local government could only advise the herdsman to relinquish the gold, which belongs to the country according to its current mineral resources law without forcing him to give up a reward for its discovery. It thus calls for the precedent of specific reward rules for similar controversies.

Beijing Morning Post, Feb 9

There should be no question about the herdsman's ownership of the gold nugget he discovered. Moreover, for finders of hidden objects except cultural relics, relevant articles of China's General Principles of the Civil Law also need to be revised to guarantee their right of possession. The revision, if put to effect, will make citizens more motivated to discover unknown treasures, which are thus more likely to be put on the market instead of being secretly possessed. Income tax could also be applied to those who occasionally discover and lawfully own a treasure.

Securities Times, Feb 9

Gold is undoubtedly a kind of natural mineral, but one has to be aware of the legal difference between mineral products and resources in regard to ownership. Gold resources are under the protection of the State, and can be used for large-scale mining. While an ownerless gold nugget cannot be classed as a resource, and can be held in the possession of the herdsman who found it according to the principle of preemption.

Li Xiandong, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, Feb 9