Gansu Jiandu Museum showcases bamboo and wooden slips culture

This is the latest major achievement of the Gansu Jiandu Museum following academic achievements such as Han Dynasty Wooden Slips from Jianshuijinguan, Han Dynasty Bamboo Slips from Diwan and Bamboo and Wooden Slips Explanation of the Qin and Han dynasties in Gansu. It will bring new academic growth to the historical research of the "Belt and Road" and provide first-hand information for the research of the Silk Road.

Before the paper was invented and widely used, ancient people wrote characters on bamboo, wood, and other materials, and compiled them into a book with silk and hemp. It was called Jiandu, which means bamboo and wooden scripts.

Gansu province is rich in bamboo and wooden slips. Since 1907, more than 80,000 slips have been unearthed. Among them, the Bamboo Slips of the Han Dynasty is the largest, with a total of over 70,000, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total number of the Han Dynasty Bamboo Slips unearthed in the country.