What are the ancient bamboo slips in China made of?

Bamboo slips are common writing materials in ancient China. They are made of bamboo strips or wooden strips. As early as Shang Dynasty, people used bamboo and sawdust as writing materials. By the Warring States period, bamboo slips had become one of the main writing materials.

The method of making bamboo slips is very simple. First of all, we should choose good quality bamboo strips or wooden strips with straight seams, then cut them into thin slices of appropriate size and coat them with ink. In this way, the treated bamboo or sawdust can be used to write.

Compared with other writing materials, bamboo slips have the advantages of long storage time, convenient carrying and waterproof. Therefore, in ancient China, bamboo slips were widely used, especially in government, schools and private families. Because bamboo slips can be reused, many precious documents and cultural heritages of ancient books have been found in history, which are inseparable from the use of bamboo slips.