CGTN: Why the Chu Silk Manuscripts should be returned to China

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the repatriation of the Chu Silk Manuscripts, a significant Chinese cultural artifact currently in the United States, emphasizing the evidence supporting China's rightful ownership of the manuscripts [1][12][15]. Group 1: Historical Context - The Chu Silk Manuscripts date back approximately 2,300 years, making them over a century older than the Dead Sea Scrolls, and they document early Chinese cosmology and rituals [4][9]. - The manuscripts were discovered in 1942 by grave robbers in an ancient tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province, and were later smuggled to the United States in 1946 by collector John Hadley Cox [2][6]. Group 2: Ownership Evidence - Professor Li Ling of Peking University has conducted extensive research tracing the manuscripts' history, providing a complete chain of evidence that confirms their current location in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art [8]. - Additional correspondence between Cai Jixiang and John Hadley Cox reveals the deceptive circumstances under which the manuscripts were removed from China, further supporting the claim for their return [10][15]. Group 3: Cultural Significance and Repatriation Efforts - The manuscripts have been recognized as a national treasure of China, and various scholars and collectors, including Arthur M. Sackler, have attempted to return them to China over the years [13][14]. - The article concludes that all evidence indicates the Chu Silk Manuscripts rightfully belong to China and should be repatriated without delay after nearly 80 years in exile [15].