Scientists Decode Ancient Bamboo Slips

Scientists Decode Ancient Bamboo Slips

Scientists at Shanghai Museum announced that they had decoded part of the 1200 ancient inscribed bamboo slips that the museum bought five years ago from Hong Kong.

Among the some 100 decoded slips, which date back to the Warring States Period, 31 provide accounts on how Chinese great educator, Confucius, teach his disciples and some poets that should have been included into China's first poem collection "The Book of Songs."

The most authoritative book about Confucius life and ideas, known as "the Analects of Confucius," is commonly recognized as a work collaborated by his disciples. The book says that Confucius had taught poems to his students, but offers no details. Scientists said the new discovery has made up for this deficiency.

"The Book of Songs" is also called "Three Hundred Songs and Poems," as it is thought to contain 305 pieces. However, scientists discovered another six pieces of works from the bamboo slips, which are believed to be the original edition of the book. They also found 40 poem titles. Some of them are the same with those found in today's "the Book of Songs" but the rest are totally different. This may prove that the original number of poems collected by the classic book should be more than 305, said scientists. All these new findings will be made public for the first time at an international symposium on these bamboo slips to be held on August 19 in Beijing.