A year after the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., returned two volumes of the ancient silk manuscripts, Zhidankou, to China, Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, visited the museum on Thursday. She was accompanied by Melania Trump, wife of US President Donald Trump.
This meeting is not coincidental and takes place against the backdrop of growing cooperation between China and the US in the field of cultural heritage protection. The two volumes of the Zhidankou silk manuscripts were discovered in 1942 at the Zhidankou site in Hunan Province, central China. During wartime turmoil, they were taken to the United States in 1946 and remained abroad for nearly eight decades before the museum officially returned them to China in May 2025. These manuscripts, dating back over 2000 years to the Warring States period, are among the earliest known silk texts from China.
During her visit to the museum, Peng expressed gratitude for the recent return of Chinese cultural relics by the United States. She called for continued efforts to strengthen cooperation in cultural exchange and heritage preservation, as well as deepening friendship between the two peoples.
In September, a week before the visit of President Xi and his wife Peng, the US returned 64 cultural artifacts, works of art, and paleontological fossils to China. These items, returned in two batches, include fragments of Buddhist sculptures, figurines, and dinosaur fossils seized by US law enforcement. Chinese and American authorities worked together to facilitate their return.
At the ceremony for the handover of the returned artifacts, the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Se Feng, stated that the recent return is a concrete step in realizing an important consensus reached by the heads of the two states and contributes to building constructive relations between China and the US based on strategic stability.
After touring the museum, Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump watched a performance by a group of American teenagers singing Chinese songs. Peng advised them to continue studying the Chinese language and culture so they can serve as ambassadors of friendship between China and the United States.
For years, President Xi has emphasized the importance of exchanges between the peoples of China and the US, especially among the youth, noting that the future of relations between the two countries lies in the hands of the younger generation. In November 2023, during his visit to San Francisco, Xi proposed inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for study and exchange programs over five years. This goal was achieved this year, one and a half years ahead of schedule.
At a welcoming ceremony in the White House on Thursday, Xi announced that 100,000 young Americans will be invited to China for exchange and study over the next five years. He also called for an increase in direct flights between China and the US to facilitate bilateral travel and trade. China currently offers a 240-hour visa-free transit policy for travelers from 57 countries, including the United States. This has allowed a growing number of American tourists to visit China to personally experience the country and gain a more direct understanding of Chinese culture and society.
Such intercultural exchanges contribute to shaping American perceptions of China. According to a Pew Research Center survey from March 2026, positive attitudes among Americans toward China have been increasing for the third consecutive year, with young Americans expressing more positive views of China than older generations.