2,300-year-old silk manuscripts return home after decades abroad
October 13, 2025 | In the PressFrom Global Times (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202510/1345493.shtml)
A handover ceremony was held at the Hunan Museum, officially transferring volumes II and III of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts into the museum's collection on Monday. A total of 132 items (or sets) of silk manuscripts and related artifacts were allocated to the Hunan Museum by China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). Previously, these silk manuscripts—recently repatriated from the US—had undergone a comprehensive "physical examination," were found to be in good condition, and successfully completed an environmental adaptation observation period. According to CCTV News, researchers also conducted ultra-high-resolution scans and discovered more than 40 previously invisible ink characters on one unseparated piece of silk.
The Zidanku Silk Manuscript volumes II and III, named Wuxing Ling and Gongshou Zhan, were unearthed in 1942 from the Zidanku site in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province where the Hunan Museum is located, and were illegally taken to the US in 1946. The silk manuscripts, currently the only known silk manuscripts from the Warring States period (475BC-221BC), were returned to China in May 2025, according to a press release issued by NCHA.
The silk manuscripts are of great value for studying the evolution of ancient Chinese script, the history and culture of the state of Chu in the Warring States period, and the development of writing materials from silk to paper, Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, told the Global Times on Monday.
"At present, China's methods for preserving silk manuscripts are more advanced than those abroad, which benefits artifact conservation. We have well-developed intangible heritage techniques for silk textile protection, restoration, darning, and mounting, and modern technological means such as reducing oxidation and photochemical reactions. All these are highly advantageous for the restoration and long-term preservation of silk manuscripts," he emphasized.
After the Zidanku Warring States silk manuscripts arrived at the Hunan Museum in September, cultural heritage conservation experts conducted meticulous inspections, assessing their condition following long-distance transport, checking for microbiological damage, and evaluating the integrity of the original backing and packaging materials that support the manuscripts, according to CCTV News.
The report said that, the silk manuscripts have completed their environmental adaptation period at the museum and are in good condition, now stored in a controlled environment with constant temperature and humidity. The researchers at the museum have assembled a dedicated team of experts to develop a scientifically sound microbial eradication protocol. Simulated experiments are underway to ensure that sterilization measures thoroughly eliminate microorganisms without damaging the silk material or ink traces.
The Hunan Museum has launched a high-precision "holographic information collection" plan for these silk manuscripts and has completed standardized imaging of the newly acquired artifacts, reports said.
In the laboratory of the cultural relics conservation center at the Hunan Museum, researchers have established a special non-contact imaging platform to perform continuous spectral scanning of the silk manuscripts from visible to near-infrared light. The technology enables identification of ink traces invisible to the naked eye, fading marks, and possible contaminated areas, and also allows imaging of underlying layers beneath folded sections of the manuscripts.
When the silk manuscripts were returned to China, Lothar von Falkenhausen, a professor at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has long been involved in effort, expressed his confidence to the Global Times in China's capacity for further research and protection of the ancient silk texts.
"China's conservation labs are state-of-the-art and will be able to handle any conservation-related issues that may arise," he said.
Duan Xiaoming, director of the Hunan Museum noted that the museum is applying for a national key research and development program titled "Critical Technologies for the Information Reconstruction and Conservation of Decayed Silk Manuscripts." The museum also looks forward to building an open, and collaborative platform to share the latest research results on the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts with scholars and the public worldwide, according to CCTV News.
