Presidential visit to county museum draws attention to study of ancient texts

WUHAN, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- On Monday afternoon, the museum of Yunmeng County in central China's Hubei Province received a special guest.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by curators and history pundits, stepped into the museum, where a bamboo and wooden slips exhibition was being held.

Xi was immediately attracted to the brownish objects on display. The slips, dating back to the dynasties of Qin (221-207 BC) and Han (202 BC-AD 220), served as the primary writing medium in ancient China before the widespread adoption of paper. Inscribed with legal codes, mathematical content or family letters, they offer a glimpse into the society and lives of people in China's early history.

Among the most prominent slips is a set showing laws of the Qin Dynasty and its predecessor, the Qin state. One of these slips carries a provision that bans the cutting down of trees in early spring -- except for the making of coffins. It is known to be China's earliest law on environmental protection.

Other laws, such as restrictions on official dinners and a requirement for clear marking of prices, suggest that China already had a sophisticated legal system more than 2,200 years ago.

"These ancient slips are very precious and serve as crucial physical evidence of China's history," said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

He stressed the need for intensified archaeological research and sound protection of cultural relics, so as to preserve fine traditional culture and boost cultural confidence.

Lu Jialiang, an associate professor specialized in Qin and Han scripts and history at Wuhan University, expects increased public interest in the obscure study of ancient bamboo and wooden slips, which he describes as an archaeological "back seat."

"General Secretary Xi's visit makes me believe that our research and study are receiving more attention and support," Lu said.

COUNTY MUSEUMS IN THE LIMELIGHT

Likewise, Xi's visit has once again drawn attention to county-level museums, many of which are at the forefront of the country's archaeological field research and rural relic protection.

The museum in Yunmeng was first established in 1983 following the excavation of 1,155 bamboo slips in the county. However, after being studied in Beijing, these items were not returned to the county as the museum lacked sophisticated preservation facilities.

"Bamboo slips are difficult to preserve after excavation, so our museum used to only display their replicas," said Zhang Hongkui, curator of the museum.

Over the past decade, as China attaches greater importance to the preservation of cultural relics, new museums featuring modern facilities have mushroomed across the country thanks to generous public funding.

Xi himself is an enthusiastic museum-goer. During his domestic inspection tours in recent years, he has visited multiple museums, showing great concern for the preservation of cultural relics.

In May this year, he visited the Yuncheng Museum in north China's Shanxi Province, where he called for further efforts to advance the national project on tracing the origins of Chinese civilization.

Over the years, the museum in Yunmeng has undergone several rounds of expansion and renovation. In 2009, it was relocated to a new site of 2.3 hectares, becoming the country's largest county-level museum at that time.

Now, the museum houses over 5,000 relics, including pottery, lacquer-ware and the precious bamboo slips. "Our facilities have improved a lot and we are now capable of hosting returned bamboo slips," said Zhang.

Public interest in cultural relics has also been on the rise.

"In recent years, many museums have seen a surge in visits, and for some, booking a ticket has become difficult due to high demand," said Lu.

The museum in Yunmeng now receives 500 to 600 visitors a day, an impressive number for a county-level museum, according to the curator.