Weekend Long Read: A Lost Chinese Treasure’s 60-Year Journey Home
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On May 16, a historic moment in cultural diplomacy unfolded at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art formally returned two volumes of the ancient Zidanku Silk Manuscript — “Decrees of the Five Elements” and “Offense, Defense, and Divination” — to China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration. After nearly 80 years abroad, this national treasure finally headed home.
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- Two volumes of the ancient Zidanku Silk Manuscript, dating to the Warring States period, were returned from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art to China in May 2025 after nearly 80 years abroad.
- The manuscript, significant for its insights into ancient Chinese divination and philosophy, now partly resides in China, with one volume remaining in Washington.
- The artifact’s academic study, return, and new English edition highlight major achievements in Sino-Western scholarly cooperation and cultural heritage preservation.
On May 16, 2025, a significant milestone in cultural diplomacy was marked as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. returned two volumes of the Zidanku Silk Manuscript—ancient Chinese texts dating to the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.)—to China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration. These volumes, titled “Decrees of the Five Elements” and “Offense, Defense, and Divination,” had been abroad for nearly 80 years and will be publicly displayed in Beijing’s National Museum of China in July 2025. The first volume, “Decrees of the Four Seasons,” remains in Washington[para. 1][para. 2][para. 3]. The Zidanku Silk Manuscript is renowned as the earliest known Chinese silk document and the only silk manuscript surviving from the Warring States period, offering unparalleled insights into ancient Chinese divination, cosmology, and philosophy, especially the concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements[para. 2].
This repatriation owes much to Professor Li Ling of Peking University, whose four-decade scholarly pursuit culminated in the 2017 publication of a definitive study of the manuscripts. His research reconstructed both the artifact’s content and its global journey. The English edition, “The Chu Silk Manuscripts from Zidanku, Changsha (Hunan Province),” co-translated by eminent scholars, is being released in two volumes and represents an important achievement in cross-cultural academic collaboration. A launch event for this new edition is scheduled for June 22 in Beijing[para. 4][para. 5].
The Zidanku Silk Manuscript’s story began with its unearthing around 1943 near Changsha, Hunan—a region famous for dense ancient tombs plundered by local “earth masters” or “tu fuzi.” The four villagers who discovered it later became significant contributors to Chinese archaeology. The manuscript’s first collector, Cai Jixiang, acquired and published the first scholarly analysis of it in 1945[para. 6][para. 8]. However, the manuscript soon became embroiled in international intrigue: American John Hadley Cox, who developed ties to Chinese culture in the 1930s, arranged for the manuscript to be taken to the U.S. under the pretense of photographing it, later claiming he could sell it on Cai’s behalf, but failed to pay him and stopped communications after the Communist rise in China[para. 10][para. 11][para. 12][para. 13][para. 14][para. 15][para. 16][para. 17][para. 18][para. 19][para. 20][para. 21].
Over the following decades, the manuscript moved through various American museums, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Harvard’s Fogg Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but was not sold for a long time. In 1966, collector Paul Singer recognized its value and facilitated its acquisition for Arthur M. Sackler. By 1992, Cox anonymously donated Volumes II and III to the Freer Gallery of Art and Sackler Gallery, while Volume I remained with the Sackler Foundation[para. 22][para. 23][para. 24][para. 25][para. 26].
Professor Li Ling’s work has been pivotal in reviving scholarly interest and advocating for the manuscript’s return to China. He was able to track its provenance through cooperation with American and Chinese academics. Despite various mishandlings, the manuscript’s rich text—ranging from calendrical lore to instructions on divination and military strategy—remains intact. Volume I details the schema of the four seasons, Volume II covers analysis based on Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, and Volume III discusses strategic military divination[para. 28][para. 29][para. 30][para. 31][para. 32][para. 33][para. 34][para. 35][para. 36][para. 37][para. 38][para. 39].
Academics including Donald Harper and Lothar von Falkenhausen highlight the manuscript’s unparalleled linguistic, historical, and artistic value. Its painted deities constitute the earliest anthropomorphic representations in Chinese art. Ultimately, the Zidanku Silk Manuscript serves not just as a prized artifact but as a bridge for international scholarship and hopes remain for its complete reunification in China[para. 40][para. 41][para. 42][para. 43][para. 44][para. 45][para. 46][para. 47].
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press recently published the English edition of "The Chu Silk Manuscripts from Zidanku, Changsha (Hunan Province)" in two volumes. This endeavor is a major milestone in Sino-Western academic cooperation. A launch event for the new edition is scheduled for June 22 in Beijing.
- 1935：
- Nationalist government preparations for the Battle of Changsha led to the exposure of numerous ancient tombs, energizing tomb raiders ('tu fuzi').
- Around 1943：
- The Zidanku Silk Manuscript was unearthed by four young men in Changsha.
- January 1945：
- Cai Jixiang published the first scholarly work on the Zidanku Silk Manuscript, 'A Study of the Late Zhou Silk Book.'
- Summer of 1946：
- Cai Jixiang brought the manuscript to Shanghai to attempt to sell it, met John Hadley Cox, who then arranged to send it to the United States.
- August 1946：
- Cox abruptly left Shanghai, reportedly due to his father's death.
- September 1946：
- Cai Jixiang received a $1,000 deposit from Cox for the manuscript.
- By January 1947：
- Cai sent a letter stating he would wait until the end of February 1947 for the transaction to conclude.
- June 1948：
- Wu Zhucun sent an English translation of Cai’s letter to Cox in the U.S.
- August 1948：
- Cai pressed Cox to honor his promise to pay, threatening legal action.
- September 1948：
- Wu met Cox at the Library of Congress; Cox promised to try to sell the manuscript.
- August 5, 1949：
- Changsha was liberated by Chinese communist forces.
- April 1950：
- Cai was arrested by Hunan police while trying to transport artifacts to Guangzhou.
- March 1951：
- Cai was bailed out by the Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee.
- 1953：
- Cai became an official staff member at the Hunan Provincial Museum.
- April 1964：
- The loan of the Zidanku Silk Manuscript to the Metropolitan Museum of Art expired; Cox retrieved the item and sold it to Dai Fubao.
- 1966：
- Paul Singer discovered the hidden manuscript and alerted Arthur M. Sackler, facilitating the transfer of Volume I to Sackler’s collection.
- 1979：
- Li Ling began his studies in ancient Chu script as a postgraduate student.
- 1980：
- Li Ling wrote 'A Study of the Warring States Chu Silk Manuscript from Zidanku, Changsha.'
- January 1980：
- Cai Jixiang died, never having received payment for the manuscript.
- 1989-1990：
- Li Ling attended a symposium on Chu culture in Washington, D.C., and began research in the U.S. on the Zidanku Silk Manuscript.
- June 12, 1992：
- John Hadley Cox anonymously donated Volumes II and III of the manuscript to the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
- 2017：
- Li Ling published his book 'The Zidanku Silk Manuscript.'
- 2019：
- Publication of the English edition (Volume: 'Discovery and Transmission') of Li Ling’s book.
- May 16, 2025：
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art formally returned Volumes II and III of the Zidanku Silk Manuscript to China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.
- 2025：
- Scheduled publication of the English edition (Volume: 'Transcription and Reproductions') of Li Ling’s book.
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