First Encounter with Yumen Pass | Bamboo Slip School, Experience the Most Stylish Bamboo Slip Culture

After visiting the Dunhuang Museum, I developed a strong interest in Han bamboo slip culture because it made me think about how humans thousands of years ago recorded their lives. What media did they use? Chinese culture has a long and profound history of over five thousand years. I remember when I was in school, I briefly learned that early humans relied on hunting, and they recorded events by tying knots in ropes. Later, they used pottery, animal bones, bronze, then bamboo and wooden slips, silk, paper, and eventually electronic media. This made me realize the greatness and importance of writing.

The museum guide mentioned that Han bamboo slips are divided into frontier fortress slips and tomb slips. Frontier fortress slips include Dunhuang slips, Juyan slips, and Lop Nur slips. So I decided to become a 'cultured person' and experience the frontier Dunhuang slips at Yumen Pass, where the most Han bamboo slips have been unearthed.

On the third day, with many novel ideas in my mind, I took a bus to the Yumen Pass Heritage Site. The staff there were very hospitable and showed us the etiquette for receiving honored guests. Then we changed into Hanfu, imitated the ancients, and walked spiritedly into the study classroom.

【Bamboo Slip Classroom】

Well, isn't this amazing? It doesn't matter; what matters is that we couldn't wait to listen to this gentle and refined Han bamboo slip teacher impart cultural knowledge, because I also wanted to become a cultured person.

【Gentle and Refined Bamboo Slip Teacher】

Alright, no more digressions. I listened attentively.

The teacher first showed us a picture that initially seemed unrelated to Han bamboo slips—the emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The English letters 'BEIJING' and the Arabic numerals '2008' were unexpectedly written in the calligraphic style of Dunhuang Han bamboo slips. This made me even more eager to learn more.

You will discover something different.

Now, I want to share the knowledge I have carefully learned. After all, today I am a cultured person.

The earliest Han bamboo slips in Dunhuang were discovered in 1907 by British explorer Aurel Stein near Yumen Pass. Over 2,000 slips were brought to light. During the Han Dynasty, Dunhuang was one of the four commanderies, called Dunhuang Commandery. Naturally, the slips unearthed here are the earliest in date and the largest in number. This is closely related to its geographical location at that time. We know that during the Western Han, Emperor Wu of Han eliminated the Xiongnu threat, managed the Hexi Corridor, opened up the Western Regions, maintained the Silk Road, established the four commanderies and two passes, built the Great Wall, and set up beacon towers, forming a vast observation system. With political and commercial prosperity, Yumen Pass gradually flourished due to its strategic importance. Han bamboo slips are relics of the Han Dynasty, and their content authentically records the politics, military, and daily life of the frontier fortress.

Han bamboo slips not only witnessed historical changes but also provided important clues for calligraphy enthusiasts. They serve as a bridge, not only transforming ancient scripts but also paving the way for later cursive, running, and regular scripts. Then we learned the process of making Han bamboo slips, which made me marvel at the greatness and wisdom of the ancients.

Ah~ it's when you use your knowledge that you regret not having read enough; it's when you do things that you realize how difficult they are. If only I had read more books about historical and cultural knowledge before coming to Dunhuang, I wouldn't feel like an illiterate in front of these two-thousand-year-old relics. I suggest all travelers learn more about the history and culture of the Silk Road before coming. That way, it will be easier to understand the history, culture, art, calligraphy, and relics of Dunhuang.

Finally, I had a chance to show my skills. Ding ding ding—I followed the bamboo slip teacher to learn how to write Han bamboo slips. Since I thought my handwriting was decent, I confidently started grinding ink, preparing to write a Liangzhou poem. Just as I was secretly pleased, I saw the young lady next to me had already started writing. Not wanting to lag behind, I made my first stroke, and it was full of frustration.

Grinding ink, I was serious.

The young lady had already written.

My 'Liangzhou Poem'

Although my own Han bamboo slip writing wasn't good, I felt that writing these desolate and solemn poems in a place with over two thousand years of history had a unique flavor. Han bamboo slip calligraphy is a very distinctive form. At first glance, it seems rough, but individual characters are very beautiful. Actually, picking up a pen to write is not that easy. Han bamboo slips allow a lot of room for expression; they can fully convey individual style, and even some exaggerated strokes. Han bamboo slips give a sense of primitive simplicity and distant antiquity. Thus, writing Han bamboo slips at Yumen Pass has a special charm.

There is a saying: 'The handwriting reflects the person.' I now understand this differently. It refers to one's state of mind. A restless soul cannot produce clean and beautiful calligraphy. An agitated person with an unsettled heart cannot write good characters. Today, I felt a great sense of frustration. Indeed, one should read more books—'There is a golden house in books, and there is a jade-like beauty in books.' Learning more is always right. I hope all friends learn beforehand, otherwise, you might end up like me. Of course, the saying 'It's when you use your knowledge that you regret not having read enough; it's when you do things that you realize how difficult they are' also applies.