Since the return from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art to Hunan earlier this year, researchers have been employing infrared imaging to examine the two-millennium-old Zidanku Silk Manuscripts. More than 40 previously unseen characters have been revealed – an important breakthrough in the study of these Warring States-era texts.

Previous studies have shown that the manuscripts cover a wide range of subjects, including astronomy, calendrical science, cosmology, and military divination.

The newly revealed characters are likely to provide crucial information for reconstructing the manuscripts' textual structure and internal logic, offering new insights for research and preservation.