Studying Unearthed Manuscripts in Modern China
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ID: 321997
2026
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Abstract
Abstract This chapter introduces the modern study of unearthed manuscripts from prior to the 4th century CE in China, an emerging field whose disciplinary identity is still debated and whose methodology continuously evolves. The chapter begins with unearthed manuscripts mentioned in received sources from before the 20th century, focusing on the historical circumstances of their discovery and the contexts in which they were studied. I note the often-neglected continuities between these past practices and their modern counterparts. The chapter then examines the study of unearthed manuscripts in the 20th and 21st centuries. Through the case of wet (water-saturated) manuscripts, I describe the process through which manuscripts move from being buried underground into the domain of academic research and then public discourse about China’s past. I show how institutional and sociopolitical changes over the past five decades affect disciplinary practice. My argument is twofold. First, unearthed manuscripts are multivalent entities, not mere texts or inscribed objects from under the ground. Second, it is important to take a holistic approach to studying them. Examining the entire process of excavating, conservating, and zhengli (ordering, annotating, and publishing) unearthed manuscripts is critical to understanding how they are used not just as historical sources but also as sociohistorical artefacts whose making is integral to knowledge production in modern China.
| Reference Key |
openalex_W7170034837
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|---|---|
| Authors | GUO Jue |
| Journal | Oxford University Press eBooks |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0014
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| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
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