TY - BOOK AU - Brookes,Adam TI - Fragile cargo: the World War II race to save the treasures of China's Forbidden City SN - 9781982149291 PY - 2023/// CY - New York PB - Atria Books KW - Forbidden City (Beijing, China) KW - History KW - Art treasures in war KW - China KW - Beijing KW - 20th century KW - Cultural property KW - Protection KW - Art KW - Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945 N1 - "Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2022 by Chatto & Windus"--Title page verso; Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-348) and index; Prelude: The Forbidden City -- First glimpse of the Imperial collections -- The shabby professor -- Peace, and war -- Evacuation -- Shanghai -- To London -- The southern route -- Fleeing Nanjing -- The central route -- The northern route -- A sort of sanctuary -- The unforgettable day -- Exile? -- Hunting tigers N2 - "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. Peking's Forbidden City is tense with fear and expectation. Japan's aircraft drone overhead, its troops and tanks are only hours away. How will the curators protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge? A million pieces of art-- objects that carry China's deepest and most ancient memories. For sixteen years the curators, under the leadership of museum director Ma Heng, would transport the imperial art collection thousands of miles across China. Brookes details the story of a curators and their fragile, invaluable cargo. -- adapted from jacket ER -