Ancient 'mini library' unearthed

The center's research and the compiled collections focus on the bamboo and silk manuscripts, which tally over 130,000 characters. The texts include more than 50 classics with topics ranging from politics, military, philosophy, medicine and healthcare, astrology and more. Among the classics are I Ching (The Book of Changes) and Tao Te Ching, a philosophy book by Lao Tzu (571-470 BC).

"Our center's work is not only about recognizing the characters but also interpreting the texts and unlocking the historical, cultural and philosophical value in the content. … Some of the classics have been passed on till today. However, many have not been handed down, which will offer us new knowledge and are of extremely high academic value," says Liu.

The restoration process has not been easy. The silk pieces that have survived thousands of years are extremely fragile. Moreover, as most silk pieces were originally kept folded multiple times in a box with blank spaces and leaves in some layers, they closely clung together with printed scripts, making the main texts difficult to read after being immersed in water for ages.