Jvyan bamboo slips from Han Dynasty

Gansu is known for having a large reserve of bamboo slips from varied dynasties, while the Hexi Corridor is called the capital of Han Dynasty bamboo slips.

As of now, more than 70,000 pieces of bamboo slips from different ages have been discovered in Gansu province. Among them, more than 40,000 pieces are now housed in the province. To be specific, over 82% of Han Dynasty bamboo slips ever discovered in China is from Gansu province.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the province has had large bamboo slip discoveries in Jvyan, Xuanquan, and Dunhuang. In the discovery of Xuanquan relic site in the 1990s, more than 23,000 pieces were unearthed from one place, making it one of the top 10 archaeological discoveries in China during the 8th Five-year Plan period. Bamboo slips discovered in Gansu have been highly valued as they cover a wide range of research fields and offer diversified historic records.

Jvyan bamboo slips from the Han Dynasty, in particular, have been recognized as one of China's "Four Discoveries" in the archiving sector in the 20th century, due to their great historic value for studying the administrative archiving system and political system in the Han Dynasty.