Prof Lothar von Falkenhausen on cultural urgency of reuniting the Chu Silk Manuscripts

Unearthed from the Zidanku site in Changsha, the Chu Silk Manuscripts are the oldest known classical Chinese texts on silk, dating back approximately 2,300 years. In this interview, UCLA professor Lothar von Falkenhausen, a leading scholar in Chinese archaeology, explains the unparalleled significance of the Chu Silk Manuscripts and shares why they must be viewed – and preserved – as a whole. Two volumes were returned to China by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in May this year, but remain in fragments. The most complete piece, volume I, is still held abroad.

Now, with the long-awaited English edition of The Chu Silk Manuscripts from Zidanku, Changsha (Hunan Province) officially published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, co-translated by professor Lothar von Falkenhausen and University of Chicago's Donald Harper, the call to action has never been clearer: It's time for the first volume to come home.