How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning
Tourists with replicas of the ancient Sword of Goujian, from the Hubei Provincial Museum, were told not to hand-carry them onto planes
During mainland China’s recent May Day holiday, a 2,500-year-old sword went viral on Chinese social media – but not for the reason you might think.
Lasting from May 1 to 5, the May Day holiday – also known as “Golden Week” – sees large numbers of domestic tourists flocking to popular travel destinations across China, including the Hubei Provincial Museum, which houses the famous Sword of Goujian.
Many of them end up buying a replica of the sword in the souvenir shop. As a result, the main international airport in the provincial capital Wuhan put up a notice pronouncing: “To save you time at security, knives with blades longer than 6cm (the Sword of Goujian) may not be carried on your person; they must be left in storage, checked in or sent by courier.”