'Book of Songs' from Chinese imperial tomb proves oldest complete copy ever found

NANCHANG -- Archaeologists have confirmed the discovery of China's first ever-known complete version of the "Book of Songs" on bamboo slips from the Qin (221-207 BC) and Han (202 BC-220 AD) period, dating back some 2,000 years.

The manuscript written on bamboo slips was unearthed from the famed tomb of the Marquis of Haihun in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province.

Infrared scans clearly identified key information such as a total of "305 poems" and "7,274 lines," proving it was a full copy when the classic work was buried in the tomb, Yang Jun, the tomb excavation team leader from the Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said at a recent seminar.

The bamboo slips each measure 23 cm in length and 0.8 cm in width, and there are 20 to 25 characters per slip and three binding cords, said Yang Bo, a researcher at the Institute of Ancient History, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Experts hold that the copy was the official textbook for Confucian studies during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25 AD). The tomb's owner, Marquis Liu He, was a documented student of the book, making the find a direct link to historical records.

Liu was the grandson of Emperor Wu, whose reign ushered in one of the most prosperous periods in China's history.

Liu was given the title "Haihunhou," or "the Marquis of Haihun," after he was deposed as emperor, following only 27 days in power. He was dethroned by his royal clan due to what they considered a lack of talent and morals. Haihun is the ancient name of a very small kingdom in northern Jiangxi.