Hey kids! Guess what? Two amazing and ancient silk scrolls that are over 2,000 years old have finally returned home to China! 🎉
These special silk manuscripts, called Wuxing Ling and Gongshou Zhan, were originally found in 1942 in a place called Changsha, in Hunan Province, China. But in 1946, they were taken to the United States and have been there ever since. Now, after all these years, they’ve been given back to China where they belong! 😊
The big handover ceremony happened at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, where the scrolls were kept, officially returned them to China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration.
These silk manuscripts are super important because they’re the only ones we know of from the Warring States period, which was from 475 to 221 BC. That’s a long, long time ago! They help us learn about ancient Chinese writing and history.
Dr. Rao Quan, a top official in China who works with culture and tourism, said that bringing the scrolls back means they can be studied and protected in their homeland. This helps everyone understand their true value.
Even the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Xie Feng, called the return a “cultural milestone”! He said it’s a great example of China and the United States working together and becoming better friends. 🤝
Did you know that over 600 artifacts have been returned to China from the U.S.? That’s a lot of important pieces of history making their way back home!
Mr. Chase F. Robinson, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, said that giving back the manuscripts was the right decision. It’s a wonderful example of countries helping each other.
These precious scrolls will be shown to the public for the first time in July 2025 at the National Museum of China. So if you ever visit China, you might get to see them! 🖼️
And guess what? There’s still one more volume called Sishi Ling that China hopes to bring back soon. Let’s keep our fingers crossed! 🤞
This story shows how important it is to take care of our world’s history and to share it with everyone. Isn’t it cool how countries can work together to make sure ancient treasures are kept safe? 🌍
Reference(s):
Ancient silk manuscripts from Warring States period returned to China
cgtn.com
