Guodian Chu Tomb Bamboo Slips. The Way of Tang and Yu

Author: Jianba Shufa Xuan Editing Group
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-10-01
Features: In the autumn of 1993, archaeologists from Jingmen Museum conducted emergency excavation and clearing at the Ji Mountain in Shayang County, rescuing the No. 1 Chu Tomb of Guodian. Although the tomb was small and had been looted twice before excavation, it contained a rich array of artifacts, including ritual vessels, musical instruments, chariot and horse equipment, daily utensils, funerary items, lacquerware, and bamboo slips. Based on the tomb's artifacts, it was determined that the occupant lived during the mid-to-late Warring States period and held the status of a high-ranking warrior. Among the artifacts of the Guodian Chu Tomb, the most striking are over 800 bamboo slips. Upon their publication, they sparked a research in academic circles both at home and abroad, with many scholars writing books and articles to express their views and insights. 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 Shengshui; and fourteen Confucian classics: Ziyi, Lu Mu Gong Wen Zisi, Qiong Da Yi Shi, Wuxing, Tangyu Zhi Dao, Zhong Xing Zhi Dao, Cheng Zhi Wen Zhi, Zun De Yi, Xing Zi Mi Chu, Liude, Yucong I, Yucong II, Yucong III, and Yucong IV. Except for Laozi and Ziyi, which appear in extant texts, and Wuxing, which is found in the silk manuscripts unearthed from the Mawangdui site in Changsha, the rest are lost pre-Qin writings from over two thousand years ago.