How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning

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.”