Chapter 1 Chinese Bamboo Slips Unearthed Abroad and the Book Road in East Asia: On the Bamboo Slips of the Analects
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Abstract
Archaeological remains of bamboo and wooden slips of the Chinese classics are not only found in China. Slips of the Analects of Confucius have been discovered in Korea. Slips of the Thousand Character Classic, the Analects, and other Chinese classics have been unearthed in Japan. Bamboo slips of the Analects in Korea are the result of Han dynasty promotion of administrative documents on the frontier. Later wooden slips in Korea bear witness to the promotion of Confucianism and the continuation of foreign exchanges. Wooden slips in Japan signal the further spread of Chinese-character culture. From a broader East Asian perspective, slips of Chinese classics serve as carriers of knowledge and skills, of Confucianism, and of conceptions of government. This chapter explores the many ways Chinese culture was localized outside of China through the spread of Chinese classics in the form of bamboo and wooden slips.