Liye

The archive of the Qin County of Qianling, better known as the Liye documents, was discovered in 2002–5 during an archaeological excavation in Liye, a small town in present‐day Hunan province in China. Dated between 222 and 209bce, the Liye documents are the only collection of Qin administrative records published up to the present date and the largest known find of the Qin manuscripts. Over 37,000 wooden tablets were excavated, of which more than 17,000 bear inscriptions. The content of the Liye archive reflects the work of the local government and its communications within the broader administrative network of the empire. It also sheds light on the organization of the Qin imperial administration at the newly conquered lands to the south of the Yangzi River during a crucial period of political, economic, and social transition.