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Primary sourceDocumentQin period (221-207 BCE)

Qin Rishu Bamboo Slips

Unknown Qin scribes · Qin period (221-207 BCE)

A set of Qin-era bamboo slips recording a calendar and divination system, showing everyday administration under the Qin state Qin Shi Huang ruled.

These administrative records come from the Qin state Qin Shi Huang ruled, showing the bureaucracy underlying his empire.

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Photo of an museum display case showing the Qin Rishu, a set of bamboo slips with vertical columns of Chinese characters in ink, mounted on a light panel. A label at the bottom reads Rishu, Qin (221-207 BC), 1975 Yunmeng Tomb 11 excavation, with English text below. Slips are arranged in rows of tall narrow strips.
Qin Rishu bamboo slips, Qin period. Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan. Photo by Gary Todd, 2010.

About this source

What it is

These are bamboo slips written in the Qin period, covered in vertical columns of ink characters. They belong to a type of text called Rishu, used for calendars and divination. They were excavated from Tomb 11 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng, in 1975 and are now displayed in the Hubei Provincial Museum.

Why it matters

The slips were made by unnamed scribes and officials of the Qin state, which Qin Shi Huang ruled and later unified into an empire. They show how ordinary administration, timekeeping, and belief worked under his government, beyond the grand monuments usually associated with him.

Look closer

  • What does the material (bamboo and ink) tell you about how records were kept before paper?
  • Why might a government want a standard calendar or system of divination?
  • What does this everyday document add to the picture of Qin Shi Huang's empire?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emperor Qin Shi Huang on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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