Historical studies help bring ancient silk manuscripts back to China from U.S.

The return of the ancient Zidanku Silk Manuscripts from the United States to China marks a case of lost cultural artifacts successfully recovered thanks to extensive historical investigation, according to officials of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA).

In a handover ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in the United States in Washington, D.C. on Friday, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art officially returned the Zidanku Silk Manuscript volumes II and III: Wuxing Ling and Gongshou Zhan from the Warring States period (475-221 BC) to China's NCHA.

The silk manuscripts were unearthed in 1942 from the Zidanku site in Changsha, Hunan Province, and were illegally taken to the United States in 1946. The silk manuscripts are currently the only known silk manuscripts from the Warring States period.

The Zidanku Silk Manuscripts are divided into three volumes. The returning texts, the Wuxing Ling and Gongshou Zhan, are the second and third volumes, respectively.

The agreement to return the manuscripts was made possible by a collection of evidence that not only showed the origin of the relics, but tracked their passing through different hands over the decades. Based on these efforts, the two countries held many rounds of talks and reached a consensus that the historical mistake should be correct, according to Zhu Ye, deputy director of the Office for the Recovery and Restitution of Lost Cultural Property of the NCHA.

"The repatriation of the Zidanku silk manuscripts is a successful case in which we reclaimed the historically lost cultural relics on the basis of a chain of evidence formed by research on the origin and circulation history," Zhu said.

After World War II, two international treaties were adopted to prevent the theft, illicit excavation, and trafficking of cultural property. Namely, these were the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.

However, these two conventions do not apply retroactively in some cases, according to Zhong Ming, a researcher at the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center.

"In fact, they have no retroactive effect on cultural relics lost before the conventions came into effect for the contracting parties, including the 1995 convention. Both conventions have a limited retroactive effect," Zhong said.

"Under the 1970 Convention, we signed bilateral agreements with 27 countries on preventing the theft, illicit excavation and import and export of cultural relics. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (in 2012), we have brought 59 batches of 2,180 lost cultural relics back home," Zhu said.

The manuscripts will be publicly displayed for the first time in July 2025 at the National Museum of China as part of an exhibition on the repatriation of cultural relics.

The NCHA said it will continue to work toward the early return of the Sishi Ling, another volume of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts.

Historical studies help bring ancient silk manuscripts back to China from U.S.

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests