National Museum of Asian Art Announces the Transfer of Ancient Manuscript Fragments to China

National Museum of Asian Art Announces the Transfer of Ancient Manuscript Fragments to China

Zidanku Silk Manuscripts

transfer

deaccession

repatriation

museum stewardship

institutional documentation

Official press release published by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art on May 16, 2025. The release announces that fragments of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts were deaccessioned from the museum’s collection and formally transferred to the National Cultural Heritage Administration of the People’s Republic of China during a ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. In this exhibit, the document functions as institutional stewardship documentation and as evidence for a dated custody event.

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. (2025, May 16). National Museum of Asian Art announces the transfer of ancient manuscript fragments to China - National Museum of Asian Art. Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. https://asia.si.edu/about/press/releases/national-museum-of-asian-art-announces-the-transfer-of-ancient-manuscript-fragments-to-china/

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

2025-05-16

National Cultural Heritage Administration of the People’s Republic of China
Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

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documentsStewardshipEventOf: Manuscript fragments found in woven bamboo case with lid (fragments now encapsulated)

Web page

English

Text

https://asia.si.edu/about/press/releases/national-museum-of-asian-art-announces-the-transfer-of-ancient-manuscript-fragments-to-china/

Washington, D.C.
2025-05-16

Press release