Before the invention of paper, it was the main writing material of the ancients. From the pre-Qin period to the Wei and Jin dynasties, the slips recorded the history of Chinese civilization for one or two thousand years. Each piece of slips, like a specimen of civilization, freezes many historical moments, allowing us to get a glimpse of the life of the ancients thousands of years later.
The Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum is the "collector" of Chinese tablets in China, and the number of Chinese tablets in the museum accounts for more than half of the total number of Chinese tablets unearthed in the country. Han Dynasty people love to eat salt? What did the Han Dynasty people take the "public examination"? Do they have to show their "annual card" when they enter and exit the border stopper? On the occasion of International Museum Day, let's walk into the Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum and learn about the interesting knowledge you don't know!
In the Han Dynasty, the salt used by the border guards was generally distributed by the government, and each soldier received 3 liters per month, which is about 216 grams today, or 7.2 grams per day. Judging from modern medical knowledge, this amount of salt is not small. The Han Dynasty people were so heavy on salt, is it because of the "heavy taste"? Not quite. In addition to being used to make tempeh, salt is also added to the feed of cattle and horses.
"Neng Shu", "Accounting" and "Knowing the Law" were the basic requirements for the grassroots officials of the Han Dynasty, that is, they could write, calculate, understand policies, and know the law, which was also an important basis for the Han court to decide on the rewards and punishments of the grassroots officials in the border area. In order to be promoted, soldiers and officials need to practice calligraphy and calculation skills diligently, and a large number of "practice character Jane" and "multiplication formula Jane" have been unearthed in the northwest side, which is not unrelated to this.
Inspecting Tiantian is a daily task that the soldiers on duty in the Han Dynasty must complete every day. Amada is a long stretch of sand between two beacons, and when a man or horse crosses without permission, it leaves footprints and is used to scout the enemy's entry and exit. So, how to prove that the soldiers did not "touch the fish" and inspected the entire section of Amada? The people of the Han Dynasty made the "Riji Han".
When inspecting the Feng Tunnel, the guards inserted the "Riji Han" on the sand, and took the "Riji Han" that had been inserted in the sand during the inspection of other guards the day before and returned to the garrison. In this way, it can be proved that each soldier inspected Amada in its entirety.
Modern people pay attention to anti-counterfeiting, and so do the ancients. In order to prevent others from tampering with data and other information, the Han Dynasty people would engrave numerical symbols on the slips when making contracts or counting quantities.
In the Han Dynasty, the government made two entries and exits engraved with the deed, one was placed at the pass and the other was held by an individual. When the individual enters and exits the customs, the official shall verify whether the deed is consistent, and the customs will be cleared. This program is called "conformity", which is also the earlier source of the word "conformity". This kind of pass is made and used on a monthly or yearly basis, just like the "monthly card" and "annual card" that people use on various occasions today.
In the Han Dynasty, the people wrote the character "Tong" on the slip, which was divided into two from the middle, and each party held half of it. When it is necessary to verify, the two sides will put together the semi-simplified execution, so that they can spell out a complete "same" character. Perhaps, this is where the modern "contract" comes from.
Walking through the porch of the museum is like opening a thick book of history and culture. Each cultural relic is a key to explore our "where" time we come from; Each display will become a mirror to guide us "where we are going". On International Museum Day, let's walk into museums together and start a journey of knowledge through museums!
Producer: Ma Weikun, Hu Guoxiang, Song Changqing
Reporter: Jiang Weichao, He Wen, Ma Xiping
Final review: Zhang Huan
Editors: Chen Qian, Wang Yuxuan, Zhao Lulu, Wang Yilin (intern)
Academic Advising:
Xiao Congli, director of the Finishing and Research Department of the Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum
Ji Qiang, assistant librarian of the Finishing and Research Department of the Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum
Xinhua News Agency New Media Center
Xinhua News Agency Gansu Branch
Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum
Joint Exhibits