Civilization Revisited: Unearthed Documents in China and Traditional Scholarship

Author: Zhu Yuanqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: The ancient Chinese civilization, the oldest and most glorious in human history, is not only witnessed by the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army, and Tang Sancai, but is also thoroughly documented by oracle bone inscriptions, bamboo slips, and silk manuscripts. This book reviews the discovery of unearthed Chinese documents, with a particular focus on the world-famous Yinque Mountain Han bamboo slips, Mawangdui silk manuscripts, and Guodian Chu bamboo slips, recreating the splendid civilization of the exciting era behind these documents. The book also provides the latest findings on unearthed documents up to October 2000, including the Warring States bamboo slips purchased by the Shanghai Museum from Hong Kong, the Chu bamboo slips from Cili, Hunan, and the Qin bamboo slips from Wangjiatai, Jiangling, Hubei, etc. The content relates to important classics such as the Book of Songs, the Book of Changes, the Guizang, and the Lost Books of Zhou. These newly unearthed documents will amaze the world! Seventy-five years ago, Wang Guowei predicted that the study of bamboo slips and silk manuscripts would become a new discipline; today, the study of bamboo slips and silk manuscripts has truly become a focal point of international Sinology. This book reviews the main discovery process of unearthed Chinese documents and reveals the profound impact of unearthed documents on the development, research content, and research methods of traditional Chinese scholarship. The discovery of the Confucian texts from the walls of Confucius triggered the debate between the ancient and modern textual schools, ultimately leading to the end of the Han Confucian era; the Jijun texts greatly elevated the status of history, especially chronology, promoting the independence of historical studies from Confucianism. In the past two to three decades, the unearthed documents have been more numerous and richer in content than the previous two periods. The three major unearthed documents—Yinque Mountain Han bamboo slips, Mawangdui silk manuscripts, and Guodian Chu bamboo slips—have outlined the general picture of Warring States-era scholarship and culture. The content of the Yinque Mountain Han bamboo slips is mainly focused on military strategy, while the Mawangdui silk manuscripts mostly deal with techniques and arts, allowing us to appreciate the rich and developed practical skills in the culture of that time. The Guodian Chu bamboo slips are primarily focused on philosophy, greatly deepening our understanding of Confucian and Daoist thought. The book also introduces the latest information on unearthed documents up to October 2000, including the bamboo slips purchased by the Shanghai Museum from Hong Kong, the Chu bamboo slips from Cili, Hunan, and the Qin bamboo slips from Wangjiatai, Jiangling, Hubei, etc., which relate to important classics such as the Book of Songs, the Book of States, the Lost Books of Zhou, and the Guizang.