Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocumentQin period, found 1975

The Way of Serving the Government on Qin Slips

Unknown Qin scribes · Qin period, found 1975

Bamboo slips giving rules for Qin officials, illustrating how the bureaucracy of Qin Shi Huang's empire was managed.

Rules for officials from the Qin state, illustrating the bureaucratic system Qin Shi Huang presided over.

Ask Emperor Qin Shi Huang about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Museum display panel showing five bamboo Qin slips mounted vertically behind glass, with columns of small black Chinese characters written on them. Below are Chinese and English captions identifying the text as The Way of Serving the Government, Qin period, unearthed from Tomb 11 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng, Hubei in 1975, written in columns on 51 slips.
The Way of Serving the Government, Qin period bamboo slips, excavated 1975 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng. Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan.

About this source

What it is

These bamboo slips, written in small black Chinese characters, record a text called The Way of Serving the Government, composed of 51 slips from the Qin period. They were unearthed from Tomb 11 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng, Hubei, in 1975, and are now displayed in the Hubei Provincial Museum.

Why it matters

Written by unnamed Qin officials or scribes, this text set out rules for how government servants should behave and perform their duties. Since Qin Shi Huang ruled the Qin state and later unified China under a strict centralized bureaucracy, documents like this show the practical rulebook behind his famously disciplined administration.

Look closer

  • What kind of behavior do you think rules for officials would cover?
  • Why might a ruler building a large empire need written standards for his officials?
  • What does this slip collection suggest about how much the Qin state valued written record-keeping?

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.

More Emperor Qin Shi Huang sources

Meet the AI Emperor Qin Shi Huang →
Excavated pit of the Terracotta Army under a large covered hall. Rows of life-sized clay soldiers stand in long trenches separated by earthen walls, with some clay horses visible at right. Visitors watch from walkways at the edges.Sculpture

Primary source

Terracotta Army

c. 247–209 BCE

Wide view of a landscaped park on a sunny day: a paved plaza in front, a grass lawn, a rectangular hedge with a small white pavilion on a raised mound, tall cypress trees, a wooded hill behind, and groups of visitors.Artifact

Primary source

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

246–208 BCE

Aerial view of the Great Wall of China at Jinshanling. Stone wall with watchtowers winds along a green forested ridge through hilly terrain, with mountains and cloudy sky in the background.Artifact

Primary source

Great Wall of China

7th century BCE–present, Qin-era sections 3rd century BCE

A rough, brownish stone-like weight with a knob on top, displayed in a glass case on a white base. A green patina inscription plaque with carved characters is set into its front face.Artifact

Primary source

Qin Iron Weight with Imperial Edict

221 BCE

A single narrow wooden or bamboo slip, pale yellow-tan, with a dark blackened top end and a pointed bottom end, mounted behind glass on a fabric-covered backing. Several lines of brown-black ink characters are written vertically down its face.Document

Primary source

Liye Qin Slips

Qin dynasty, 3rd century BCE

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Emperor Qin Shi Huang now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions