The unearthed inscribed bamboo slips and wooden tablets for this time, if according to their shape, they can be distributed to big and small inscribed bamboo slips, wooden tablets and so on; if according to their use, they can be distributed to five kinds:
The first kind is document. It can be subdivided into two parts. One is the land rent document with 0.5m long, 2.5cm wide and 100 to 200 Chinese characters on. The other is the official document which recorded the distribution and exchanging of money, crops, and goods among different governmental setups. Please look at this smaller slice. It is a classified label. It shows us a monthly report recorded by two officials named Huang Wei and Pan lv in the first year of Jia He period.
Second, about judicature, which recorded some detail contents and economic cases, such as the trying, appealing and reexamining? What’s on this wooden tablet is an individual case about a Du You. Du You is a kind of government official. He was sentenced to death for his corruptness of salt, but he was not convinced and appealed to a high court. However, the reexamining did not make the judge change. So he had nothing to do but accept.
The third kind is directory, somewhat like the household and registered books today. Let’s look at this slice. Here the Chinese character “Rong Li”was a name of some place in Changsha. This whole sentence means there is a man named He Qin, 55 years old, lived in Rong Li. His dukedom is Gong Cheng. And here "Suan Yi" means can be counted as one of a taxpayer;" Xing Liang Zu" refers to whose legs had been cut off. The directory served as a registered permanent resident, which put down people’s name, age, position and something we can’t find in our registered permanent resident---physical condition.
The fourth one is calling card. It mainly referred to paying respect, giving gift and administrative affairs, as visiting cards we use today.
The last kind is the wooden tablet on account which recorded the managing account of departments belongs to Changsha government.
Please look at these historical relics again. This blue and green porcelain in the Three Kingdoms and Tow Jin Dynasties were discovered in ZouMalou ancient well. Look, their glazed colors is sparking and crystal-clear, the decorate are simple and element. The second among them is called "Chichen-Head Potting", the potting is coronal form, guides the neck and proceeded high, and the modeling of it is very beautiful. These potting were very popular in Jin Dynasty. They were used as pitcher and chalice.
Everybody has seen many photos, has listened to so much explanation, now we come to see the original of the bamboo slips, wooden tablets or slips for writing.
Now, you see in the pyramid shape exhibition cupboard, it is a bamboo slips and wooden tablets or slips original that explored in Zoumalou in the ancient well of the building this time. The bamboo slips and wooden tablets or slips are the material that the ancient remains of our country come down to write. Among them the narrow and long bamboo, the wood chips are called "Jian", the generous wood chips called "Du". You must distinguish one from the other, not wood make are named "Du", what bamboo make named "Jian". Jian has the wooden one, too. Ok, the right side of I there set some inscribed wooden tablets, the middle are heavy inscribed wooden slips. In the left, they are bamboo slips that pressed under the transparent glass. The characters on the bamboo slips and wooden tablets or slips are simple and clear. It’s easily can be distinguished. The script is the transition from Lishu to Regular script.
These kinds of inscribed wooden slips and inscribed wooden tablets are made in shirt woods. The quality of these trees is pre-pressing. It is intact to keep. The raw materials of inscribed bamboo slips is bamboo whose quality is loose, apt and crooked and out of shape, so it in displaying and need press when exhibiting. The ancients have several procedures to make the bamboo slips. First, they cut the bamboo into bamboo slips, and then burnished them in order to make them smooth, these smooth slips called “Jian”. But people could not write on the wet bamboo slips. Then, they roasted dry the wet bamboo slips. While roasting, there was some water steaming out. The water looked like sweet, so people called those “Sweet Qing”or “Sha Qing”.