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Current Affairs

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…

By Samantha Johnson / June 2, 2026

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.”

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Accompanied by an image of the historic blade, the airport signage quickly sparked plenty of online jokes. One netizen quipped: “Even Goujian, the King of the Yue state himself, would have to check his luggage. Not even history can override this rule.”

The sign at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. Photo: WeChat
The sign at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. Photo: WeChat
This viral moment highlights a broader trend: China’s younger generations have been driving a massive cultural revival in recent years, which was also evident in the hanfu trend that swept the internet a few years ago.

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