A Chinese museum was ordered closed after authorities discovered numerous fake artifacts on display, a state-run media announced Thursday.

The Lucheng Museum, located in the northeastern province of Liaoning, was closed by authorities after discovering that about one-third of historical artifacts and relics on display were fakes, the Global Times reported

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Among thousands of fake items discovered was a forged sword claiming to have originated from the Qing Dynasty. It was reported to have been worth 120 million yuan, equivalent to roughly US$19 million.

State media said that China has been experiencing an increase in the number of museums for years. Last year, close to 300 museums were registered to operate. However, counterfeiting remains widespread in the country.

A Chinese collector is currently in a dispute with experts from the Shanghai Museum over the authenticity of a scroll he won at an auction in Sotheby's in New York. The collector had paid over US$8 million for it, AFP reports.

Last year, Jibaozhai Museum in Jizhou city, Hebei, was also ordered to close after officials declared some 40,000 historical relics as fakes.

This came about when Ma Boyong, a Chinese writer, had written in his blog after a visit to the Jibaozhai Museum, that some of the exhibits seemed to have discrepancies.  He opined that it might give tourists the wrong impression.

One discrepancy found was an artifact from the time of China's Yellow Emperor more than 4,000 years ago. However, upon close inspection, Shanghai Daily reported that the writings on said artifact looked as if it were simplified Chinese characters, which only came about in the 20th century.

Similarly, a museum in Henan province was shut down after authorities discovered countless fake artifacts.

A vase described to be dating back to the Qing dynasty was decorated with bright green cartoon animals, according to pictures posted by China Radio International (CRI).

Fake artifacts disguised as genuine are simply the museum's way of earning more profit, CRI says.

TagsCounterfeit, Imitation, China Radio International, CRI, Yellow emperor