Two volumes of Chinese silk manuscripts dating back about 2,300 years have been returned to central China on Monday, 79 years after they were smuggled out of the country, through cooperation between Chinese and the U.S. cultural institutions.
The second and third volumes of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts -- precious cultural artifacts dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) -- were on Monday officially repatriated to Hunan Province. They will be permanently archived in the Hunan Museum in Changsha, the provincial capital.
The manuscripts, which were unearthed from a Chu tomb by tomb raiders at the Zidanku site in Changsha in 1942, consist of three volumes: "Sishi Ling," "Wuxing Ling" and "Gongshou Zhan." They are a systematic record of astronomy, calendars, cosmology and military divination from China's pre-Qin period. The silk manuscripts are the earliest examples of silk text discovered to date and the oldest classical Chinese book in the true sense. They were smuggled out of China in 1946.
The Zidanku Silk Manuscripts from the Warring States period were unearthed in 1942 from a Chu tomb in Zidanku, Changsha, from which they derive their name. The manuscripts, consisting of three scrolls, were smuggled to the United States in 1946. On May 18, 2025, the second and third scrolls of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts returned to China from the United States.
The returned manuscripts have undergone 14 days of environmental adaptation observation after their arrival in Hunan Museum on September 10. Following a non-destructive evaluation, they are now stored in a temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled environment. A team of experts is scientifically researching a microbial disinfection plan and conducting simulation experiments to ensure that the sterilization process does not damage the material or ink of the manuscripts.
"Regarding the scientific conservation of these exceptionally precious and fragile Warring States silk manuscripts, we have established a comprehensive system for its assessment and intervention, ranging from the macroscopic to the microscopic level. The artifacts have now completed an initial period of environmental acclimatization and stabilization within the museum and is currently preserved in a secure, climate-controlled environment with constant temperature and humidity," said Duan Xiaoming, curator of Hunan Museum.
By the Spring and Autumn (770 B.C.-476 B.C.) and Warring States periods, the Changsha settlement had already grown to a considerable size.
Since the 1940s, over 3,000 ancient tombs from this era have been excavated in Changsha, with the Zidanku Chu Tomb being one of them.
After the tomb was robbed in 1942, a batch of precious cultural relics, including three silk manuscripts, was unearthed. In 1973, the Hunan Provincial Museum conducted an experimental archaeological excavation of the Zidanku Chu Tomb.
"Our museum has already held a collection of other related artifacts excavated in 1973 from the Zidanku Chu Tomb in Changsha. These include the silk painting depicting a man riding a dragon, silk textiles, jade objects, pottery, and even small fragments of the Chu silk manuscripts. Furthermore, our museum also houses the rich and renowned collection of silk manuscripts and paintings from the Mawangdui Han Tombs. The newly returned manuscripts will be preserved alongside these existing collections, allowing us to further construct a comprehensive display system that fully represents the culture of the Chu State," said Duan.
2,300-year-old Chinese silk manuscripts return home after nearly eight decades abroad
