Silk Road Civilization through the Lens of Gansu Han-Dynasty Bamboo Slips and Wooden Tablets

Abstract

The Han-dynasty bamboo slips and wooden tablets unearthed in Gansu, most notably the Juyan, Xuanquan, Dunhuang, and Jianshui Jinguan collections, encompass military defense, postal relay, administration, laws and statutes, economic exchange, cultural institutions, Confucian classics, medical texts, and private correspondence and emotions, collectively charting the landscape of Han-dynasty governance and cultural life. Analysis of their spatial distribution and content reveals two defining features of Silk Road civilization: an officially established order and a sustained mutual learning animated by bidirectional exchange. It is in the interplay between institutional design and daily practice that the distinctiveness of Silk Road civilization can be grasped most fully.