Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2021

 

The Tsinghua Bamboo Slips and the Study of Western Zhou History

 (Abstract)

 

Liu Guozhong

 

Over more than a decade of strenuous effort, ten series of reports have been published on the Tsinghua bamboo slips. The great majority of the documents therein are precious texts and secret works lost for over two thousand years. The many bamboo slip titles that relate to the history of the Western Zhou have helped to deepen our understanding and knowledge of these historical documents; they reveal the true face of historical events and promote the study of Western Zhou literary, intellectual, cultural and institutional history. Many of these records have not only solved long-debated questions in the study of Western Zhou history, but also provided new opportunities for further research. The work of collation and research on the Tsinghua bamboo slips has profoundly influenced the study of Western Zhou history; the bamboo slips have become an effective tool for studying Western Zhou history and culture.