Two silk manuscripts from China's Warring States Period, dating back over 2,300 years, have completed a historic journey home through cross-border collaboration. The Zidanku Silk Manuscripts – Wuxing Ling and Gongshou Zhan – were permanently archived at Hunan Museum this week, closing a chapter on their decades-long displacement.
Discovered in 1942 in a Chu tomb in Changsha, the texts were illegally transported to the United States in 1946. Their repatriation marks a significant milestone in Sino-US cultural cooperation, with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art formally transferring the artifacts to China's National Cultural Heritage Administration earlier this year.
"This transfer continues our century-long partnership with Chinese cultural institutions," said Chase Robinson, Director of the National Museum of Asian Art, emphasizing the careful negotiations behind the restitution.
As the earliest surviving Chinese texts on silk, the manuscripts offer unparalleled insights into ancient philosophy, astronomy, and calligraphy. Their preservation at Hunan Museum – near their original discovery site – enables both scholarly study and public engagement with this crucial piece of cultural heritage.
