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China Focus: Millennia old slips reveal panoramic view of China's first unified dynasty

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E-mail Xinhua, April 30, 2024

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CHANGSHA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A 2002 archaeological discovery brought Liye, then an obscure small town, into the spotlight, due to unearthed bamboo and wooden slips that reveal details of life during the era of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Liye belongs to Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The prefecture, located in the westernmost part of central China's Hunan Province, is considered a remote place where four provinces converge. Even traveling via the expressway from Changsha, the provincial capital, takes over five hours.

During the 2002 emergency archaeological excavation conducted in conjunction with the construction of a hydropower station, over 36,000 Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) slips, containing more than 200,000 characters, were unearthed from an ancient well. These are the administrative documents of Qianling County in the previously unrecorded Dongting Prefecture, spanning from the year before the nation's unification to the year before the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

Long Jingsha, a veteran archaeologist and the lead excavator of the well, said he had been searching for the ancient city site in this area since the nearby discovery of tombs and accompanying artifacts from the Warring States period (475 BC-221 BC) in the 1980s.

When the upper part of the well was excavated, it was first assumed to be a cellar, but after digging down 5 meters without seeing the bottom, archaeologists realized that it might actually be an ancient well.

As Long recalled, the top layer consisted of silt, pottery shards, and fragments of lacquered wood artifacts that were daily waste two millennia ago. On June 3, 2002, within the 7 meters of silt, a dark slip bearing inscriptions was discovered. "At that moment, I felt all my blood rush to my head," Long said.

From the unification of the six states by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC to its surrender in 207 BC, the Qin Dynasty lasted just over a decade. Due to scarce historical records, this dynasty was for many years shrouded by unresolved mysteries. The Liye Qin slips, akin to an encyclopedia of Qin Dynasty social life, changed this situation, filling many blanks and allowing a clear view of how China's first unified dynasty operated.

According to Zhang Chunlong, a research fellow at the Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, this well is 17 meters deep and contained 18,000 inscribed pieces. These slips cover a wide range of topics including politics, the military, ethnicity, the economy, law, culture, postal services, and medicine. The quantity exceeds the total of all previously unearthed Qin slips, with a complete chronology and detailed records -- an extremely rare find in archaeology.

Newly revealed to the world again after 2,000 years, these slips appeared black when they were first found, a stark contrast to the current state of these slips as can be seen on display in museum cases.

"At the excavation site, the wooden slips were like water-soaked biscuits, while the bamboo slips were like overcooked noodles, extremely fragile," Zhang told Xinhua.

"Excavation was conducted layer by layer according to the natural stratification, followed by numbering, cleaning, bleaching, photographing, and dehydrating of slips, before they were finally packaged in acrylic glass. The entire process lasted nearly seven years," he said.

Zhang almost single-handedly undertook the task of deciphering the characters on the slips. Two volumes of the five-part series on the Liye Qin slips have been published, while the final three volumes are nearing publication.

Based on both the content of the slips and archaeological findings, it was determined that Liye was once a southwestern military fortress of the Chu state, and that it was used during the Qin period as the county seat of Qianling County, serving as a crucial transit and supply station in terms of grain, arms, and armor.

Through Zhang's "translation," the daily life of a small town over two thousand years ago has been vividly captured.

Local governance was stringent, with officials undergoing annual evaluations. Official work hours stretched from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, although records indicate that some officials worked overtime, often late into the night. Errors in performing official duties led to severe consequences, including hefty fines or criminal punishment.

Officials dined in a cafeteria where meals were accounted for by the use of meal cards marked with crosses or circles. The cafeteria served porridge made from millet and rice. If they were traveling or unable to eat in the cafeteria, officials could take the grains home. Several multiplication rhymes familiar to children today, such as "nine nines are eighty-one" and "two eights are sixteen," were already in use, likely for calculating land areas and taxes.

The Qin Dynasty established a postal system to ensure confidentiality of documents. Documents were covered with a wooden plank tied with ropes, sealed with clay, and stamped with a seal. These planks, featuring the addresses of both senders and receivers, are considered China's earliest envelopes found to date.

Agriculture was highly valued in this region. Important ceremonial rituals, like honoring the agricultural deity, were conducted to encourage farming success. Local produce included fruits and vegetables such as celery, leeks, winter melon, and oranges. Notably, winter melon and a type of date were reserved as tribute items for Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

The Laba Festival was a major event, even more significant than the Spring Festival, with food and drinks distributed to officials during a special ceremony. Disputes could arise as a consequence, as seen in records indicating that an official had protested after not receiving his share of wine.

A doctor named Jing was commissioned by the county office. He prescribed a remedy formula for "scarless wounds." The county was also involved in Qin Shi Huang's nationwide search for the elixir of life, but unfortunately reported that no miraculous potion had been found.

After the Qin unification that ended centuries of warfare, society became relatively stable. Qianling experienced a period of economic prosperity. The essence of an era is encapsulated in a county, and the history of a county is condensed in the Qin slips. These slips silently showcase the operation of the county government and details of social life back then.

There are different interpretations among scholars as to why these slips were thrown into the well. Some believe that after the uprising in the first year of the Second Qin Emperor, with the conflict spreading to Qianling, local officials had hurriedly buried some everyday refuse and official documents in the well for preservation. Others think that as the war spread, the officials lost interest in their duties and over time used this well as a disposal site for waste, inadvertently creating a future archaeological marvel.

"For thousands of years, humanity has tirelessly pursued survival and prosperity," Zhang said, while adding that "the arduous efforts of the Qin people, who blazed trails and laid foundations, allow us to still feel their hardships today. Our civilization is the result of millennia of heritage, and it is no small feat that we have managed to preserve it to this day."

Long, now in his seventies, still personally mentors students. His two youngest disciples are both "post-95s." One of them has studied in Europe but decided to come to this small town to explore the roots of Chinese civilization.

"The greatest satisfaction for archaeologists comes from the validation of our work by future generations. Our generation has spent decades proving the existence of the ancient Qin city and its various details. Our successors will continue this endeavor," Long told Xinhua. Enditem