Location: Gowen Hall (GWN) Third Floor, East Asia Library, Room 2M
Time: 3:30-4:30 Friday, Nov 17. 2017 Speaker: Xi Zhu, Department of Asian Languages and Literature Description:
Bamboo strips (zhújiǎn 竹簡) were among the earliest materials used for writing texts in China before the widespread introduction of paper during the early second century AD. This talk will introduce some of the general features of unearthed early Chinese texts on bamboo strips, including locations of excavation, materials used, writing styles, and formats, which will be illustrated and summarized according to textual and archaeological evidence. The use of bamboo strips had a very strong and far-reaching impact on Chinese culture: the traditional style of Chinese writing from top to bottom results from the long and narrow surface of bamboo; and even many vocabularies in Chinese today relating to the format and page layout of books derive from the early use of bamboo for documents. Light refreshments will be served. |