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Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City Hardcover – February 14, 2023

by Adam Brookes (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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The gripping true story of the bold and determined museum curators who saved the priceless treasures of China’s Forbidden City in the years leading up to World War II and beyond.

Spring 1933: The silent courtyards and palaces of Peking’s Forbidden City, for centuries the home of Chinese emperors, are tense with fear and expectation. Japan’s aircrafts drone overhead, its troops and tanks are only hours away. All-out war between China and Japan is coming, and the curators of the Forbidden City are faced with an impossible question: how will they protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge? A difficult and monumental decision is made: to safeguard the treasures, they will need to be evacuated.

The magnificent collections contain a million pieces of art—objects that carry China’s deepest and most ancient memories. Among them are irreplaceable artefacts: exquisite paintings on silk, vanishingly rare Ming porcelain, and the extraordinary Stone Drums of Qin, which are adorned with 2,500-year-old inscriptions of crucial cultural significance.

For sixteen terrifying years, under the quiet leadership of museum director Ma Heng, the curators would go on to transport the imperial art collections thousands of miles across China—up rivers of white water, across mountain ranges, and through burning cities. In their search for safety the curators and their fragile, invaluable cargo journeyed through the maelstrom of violence, chaos, and starvation that was China’s Second World War.

Told for the first time in English and playing out across a vast historical canvas, this is the exhilarating story of a small group of men and women who, when faced with war’s onslaught on civilization, chose to resist. Fragile Cargo reminds us of the enduring power of beauty in a world beset by conflict and violence.
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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Atria Books
  4. Publication date
    February 14, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1982149299
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1982149291
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fascinating and inspiring story of triumph and the tragedy of war…a story better than Monuments Men.” —Wall Street Journal

“Art lovers and WWII buffs will devour this riveting and bittersweet history.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)



“Gripping and meticulously researched.”—The Times (UK)

“Thrilling…[Brookes] has uncovered the kind of history deserving of a cinematic blockbuster.” —Literary Review

“A riveting read... With his meticulously researched and detailed writing, Adam Brookes takes us on a compelling journey through this extraordinary chapter of Chinese history. Fragile Cargo reads like a thriller... Gripping stuff.” —Alexi Kaye Campbell, writer of feature film Woman in Gold

“Adam Brookes has an eye for a great story and knows how to tell it. Fragile Cargo cannot fail to delight... I enjoyed it enormously.” —John Keay, author of China: A History

“A compelling story of art, war and adventure. An extraordinary odyssey of the imperial treasures of the Forbidden City, protected by heroic and remarkable curators...Superb.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar

About the Author

Adam Brookes was born in Canada and grew up in the United Kingdom. For many years he was a journalist for BBC News, working as a correspondent in Beijing, as well as in Indonesia and the United States. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books (February 14, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982149299
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982149291
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

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Adam Brookes

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

K. Dekleva
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and mesmerizing tale of courage and heroism to save a culture
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Brookes is an expert on China, who has written 3 fine spy thrillers. Turning his attention to non-fiction, he tells the amazing tale of how a handful of brave men, led by Mai Heng, saved - during the 30s and 40s - the most priceless artifacts and art works of Chinese civilization from the ravages of war. It is a tale of dedication, pluck, heroism, and later, tragedy. A must read for those interested in the vastness of Chinese history and culture. China meets the Monuments Men! 5 stars ⭐️
One person found this helpful
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James Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2023
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A gripping story well told. I was aware of the treasures taken by Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan as the Kuomintang were forced from the mainland by the surging communists, but I had no idea the back story began so much earlier yet involved many of the same people for years. The travails of the caretakers as they moved the treasures through China one step ahead of the Japanese invaders are astonishing. A story that non-Chinese speakers like myself would otherwise miss out on without a studious interpreter like Mr. Brookes.
4 people found this helpful
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Richard
4.0 out of 5 stars The Treasures of the Forbidden City
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent narrative describing the harrowing journey the cases of artwork from the Forbidden City took as they were moved to protect them first from the Japanese invasion in the 30s. And then the equally dangerous task of moving them by ship from various cities in China to Taiwan with the KMT.
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F&M
5.0 out of 5 stars What a fascinating and captivating read
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
I teach modern Chinese culture and I am quite familiar with the topics covered in this book: China's war of resistance against Japan, the arduous undertaking of saving the treasures from the forbidden city, the KMT's escape to Taiwan, and finally the excesses of the Mao years. Nevertheless, I found Adam Brookes's book captivating and very worth reading. Rarely have I read a book to so elegantly manages to tie so many narrative strands together without getting lost. Brookes' approach is interesting. He tells the story of the treasures by focusing on the four protagonists who were charged with their safe evacuation and on a number of select items to which he returns at different times of the story. Almost in passing, he also manages to tell the story of the Chinese Republic, the war years, and the post-war period. Anyone interested in the history of China's tragic 20th century will be captivated by this book.
2 people found this helpful
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James Colwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read history
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
The gripping story of a few very dedicated curators who saved China’s vast collection of Imperial art from the ravages of invading Japanese armies. It’s interesting from a historical understanding of China’s tragic WWII experience and the human story of individual bravery and dedication.
2 people found this helpful
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gshoffma
5.0 out of 5 stars A story of perseverence and dedication in the midst of war and constant pressure
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
I really enjoyed the book. It was especially interesting since it was set with the backdrop of history (Japan's occupation of China in the 30s and 40s), and I learned from that. Horrific acts by the Japanese military at that time were striking. Overall I was deeply impressed by the Palace Museum curators’ (such as Ma Heng and Na Zhiliang) perseverance in working to save the Forbidden City cultural relics in the midst of war, loss, frustration, change, conflict, danger and constant pressure (financial, personal and political). I really admire their dedication to a cause “bigger than themselves,” which takes humility and selflessness. They desired to preserve history and beauty so that future generations could learn and be inspired.
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Christian Schlect
3.0 out of 5 stars Art of War
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
The story of saving the priceless imperial art treasures of China--first in the midst of war initiated by Japan and then during civil conflict between a corrupt effort led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Reds under a brutal Mao. The various scholars who protected the treasured art against all odds and at great personal sacrifice do deserve all of humanity's gratitude.

While there is much of interest in this book, I found it a hard slog to get through. The author favors simple, declarative sentences and a just-the-facts kind of narrative. Every movement of the cargo is detailed and there always seems to be a truck ready to fly off a mountain curve or a boat crossing a violent river ready to sink.
2 people found this helpful
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Thomas Kelley
4.0 out of 5 stars What an Amazing read in history
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023
In my opinion this is a very informative book relating to Chinese history overall with a brief description of what life was like in the Forbidden city where the emperor and his family lived and what day to day life was like for the emperor. There are many buildings within these walls, and some are to house the national treasures with some being obtain by war, by gift, the emperor having commissioned to be made or some made by the emperor himself. Many of the national treasures and the inside of the forbidden city were never meant for public view. But this changed as various wars and or conflicts lead to artifacts starting to be plunder. Around the 1920's and 1930's and 40's with Japan wanting to be the dominant country in the Asian countries along with the rise of Communism there was a very real threat to these treasures which i believe totaled over a couple of hundred thousand artifacts. As you will read there are some individuals who are tasked with opening the walls and taking inventory of the artifacts, best way to pack them and how and where to move them. This is the main focus of the story of the moving of these artifacts over a ten-year period always one step away from being harmed by war. It is amazing to see the dedication regardless of the turmoil in the country that some of the individuals had in protecting these treasures. It also is amazing to realize how many more of these artifacts could have been lost or at least damaged and ruined forever. There are some points that this gets a little dry in the reading but overall, it is a good read that many may not even know about.
5 people found this helpful
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