Chronicles etched in time

Research work

"We were cheered up immensely by that successful (UNESCO) bid," says Hu Huiping, a researcher with the National Library of China in Beijing. "But the day-to-day work hasn't really changed despite this."

She spends her days researching, studying and cataloging oracle bones.

Even though she graduated from college 15 years ago, the 41-year-old researcher says she still feels like a student stuck in a study room at her small office in the Beijing library.

"It's a job that involves sitting on a cold bench," she says. "You need patience and diligence to overcome loneliness."

Hu attributes her patience to the hope that she might one day grasp the full picture behind the Shang Dynasty through its relics.

"I wanted to understand what the Shang era was like," Hu says. "But, maybe I've only caught a glimpse of what life was like then after these 15 years."

When Hu first entered the warehouse housing the oracle bones alone in the basement of the library, she was faced with a huge hoard-with no systematic catalog in place.

"I started to catalog them from 'No 00001 oracle bone'," Hu says, proudly. "Now, less than 10,000 items are on my waiting list."