Daoism · Texts & transmission
Guodian bamboo slips illuminate early Laozi traditions
1993 CE
A tomb excavated at Guodian near Jingmen contained bamboo slips with passages corresponding to the Laozi. Their selection and arrangement differ from the received book. The discovery supplied earlier material evidence and renewed debate about how collections of sayings became a more stable text.
Why it matters
The find helps separate the age of excavated manuscripts from the much later date of discovery, while making textual variation visible to readers.
About the date
Discovery year; the tomb is dated to approximately 300 BCE.
Jingmen / Guodian
City-level orientation for the tomb discovery.
city orientation
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