Professor Jao Tsung-i and the Study of Chinese Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts

Abstract The study of Chinese bamboo and silk manuscripts was an important research field for Professor Jao Tsung-i 饒宗頤 (1917–2018). Beginning in the 1950s, Professor Jao was involved in the study of Chinese bamboo and silk manuscripts, engaging not only in the already-established research on Han bamboo slips but also actively participating in the emerging studies of Chu bamboo and silk manuscripts. He was one of the pioneers in the field. In the study of the Chu silk manuscript, Professor Jao made significant contributions to the publication of transcriptions, the interpretation of characters, and the revelation of its nature and meanings. Professor Jao was constantly concerned with the studies of Chu bamboo manuscripts, from the Yangtianhu bamboo slips to the Guodian bamboo slips and Shanghai Museum bamboo slips, witnessing and contributing to the rise and development of this field. Professor Jao also paid attention to both administrative documents and literary texts found in Qin-Han bamboo and silk manuscripts. His studies on the Mawangdui silk manuscript of the Zhou Yi and manuscripts associated with calculations and arts ( shushu 數術 ) in the Qin-Han period were particularly innovative. The breadth and pioneering nature of Professor Jao’s contributions to the studies of Chinese bamboo and silk manuscripts reflect his extensive and profound scholarship.