Ji Cheng, the son of the late scholar Ji Xianlin, shows a broken cupboard at his father's house in Peking University on Sunday. He said the house was ransacked on Wednesday. (China Daily/Yuan Yi)

    Valuable property that once belonged to the late renowned scholar and linguist Ji Xianlin has been stolen.

    The news was released by Qian Wenzhong, a professor of Shanghai-based Fudan University and one of Ji's former students.

    The missing properties include "thousands of volumes of precious ancient books, several Buddha statues and some bronze statues", the 43-year-old Qian wrote in his blog last Saturday.

    "Calculating the value of these treasures is hard, but they are worth at least two million yuan," he added.

    Ji Cheng, Ji Xianlin's only son, confirmed to Beijing Youth Daily on Saturday that nearly 5,000 volumes of books had been taken. Five bronze statues of Ji and some of his photos were also missing.

    Ji Cheng found the theft on Wednesday after he visited his father's apartment in the No 13 Apartment Building of Langrun Garden, Peking University. In this university his father had served as a professor and vice-president for more than fifty years.

    The window of the balcony had been broken and the room was ransacked. According to Ji, the thief had got in through the balcony.

    "It was brutal," he said.

    Ji said he was suspicious how so many things are been taken in only one single visit, but didn't elaborate.

    The police are investigating the theft by examining CCTV in the building and surrounding areas, the Mirror Evening News reported yesterday. There was no official university response.

    This is not the first time that the late scholar's fortunes were reported missing or caused a controversy.

    A collection of calligraphy and paintings that belonged to Ji was stolen and put up for auction at the end of last October. After the incident, Yang Rui, his secretary at the time, resigned.

    Additionally, the property Ji left behind after his death also caused a dispute when his son claimed a right of inheritance and accused Li Yujie, Ji's former secretary, of stealing works. Li insisted she was innocent and that Ji had donated all his fortune to the university.

    The late Ji, born in Linqing, Shandong province in August 1911, died of a heart attack in Beijing on July 11 at the age of 98. He was best remembered for his achievements on ancient Indian aboriginal languages, primeval Buddhist languages and Sanskritic literature.