Guodian Chu Tomb Bamboo Slips: Striving for Success and Failure According to the Times, the Way of Loyalty and Trustworthiness

Author: Editorial Group of "Selection of Bamboo Slips Calligraphy"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-12-01
Features: In the autumn of 1993, archaeologists from Jingmen Museum conducted emergency excavation and clearing of Guodian No. 1 Chu Tomb in Jishan County, Shayang County. Although the tomb was small and had been looted twice before excavation, it still contained a rich array of artifacts, including ritual vessels, musical instruments, chariot and horse equipment, daily utensils, funerary items, and bamboo slips. Based on the tomb's artifacts, it was determined that the occupant lived during the middle and late Warring States period and held the status of a high-ranking warrior. Among the artifacts of the Guodian Chu Tomb, what attracted widespread attention were over a hundred bamboo slips. Upon their announcement to the public, they sparked a of research on bamboo slips in academic circles both at home and abroad, with many scholars and experts writing books and articles to express their views. After five years of painstaking effort by experts, the bamboo slips were identified as sixteen pre-Qin texts, including two Daoist classics: "Laozi" (Jia, Yi, Bing) and "Taiyi Changsheng"; and fourteen Confucian classics: "Ziyi," "Lu Mu Gong Wen Zisi," "Qiongda Yi Shi," "Wuxing," "Tangyu Dao," "Zhongxin Dao," "Chengzhi Wenzhi," "Zun De Yi," "Xing Zi Ming Chu," "Liude," "Yucong I," "Yucong II," "Yucong III," and "Yucong IV." Except for "Laozi" and "Ziyi," which are found in extant texts, and "Wuxing," which is found in the bamboo slips unearthed from Mawangdui in Changsha, the rest are pre-Qin lost texts from over two thousand years ago.