Volumes 7391-7392 of the Yongle Encyclopedia are on display in Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

Two rare manuscript volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia, one of China's most important historical works, officially entered the Hangzhou Branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in East China's Zhejiang province after spending more than a century overseas. The donation ceremony was held on June 24, marking a major milestone in the preservation of China's cultural heritage.

The recovery began in 2020 when the two volumes appeared at a French auction house. As public institutions were unable to participate directly in the auction, rare book experts turned to Jin Liang, a businessman from Taizhou, Zhejiang province, and a longtime collector of ancient books. Jin purchased the manuscripts for about 8.13 million euros ($9.25 million) to bring them back to China.

The returned volumes, covering the entries Hu (Volumes 2268-2269) and Sang (Volumes 7391-7392), date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and are believed to have been produced during the Jiajing (1522-1566) and Longqing (1567-1572) reigns.

Their return fills important gaps in the surviving collection and completes the existing sequence of the Hu volumes, providing valuable resources for historical research and textual studies.

Jin, chairman of Zhejiang Outlets Plaza, has spent more than 30 years collecting and preserving rare Chinese books. His collection includes about 40,000 volumes ranging from early manuscripts to editions from the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming, and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

In recent years, he has promoted the return of cultural relics from overseas and established a private museum showcasing rare historical publications.