The Commentary On Chen Mengjia’research Of Han Bamboo Slips

Chen Mengjia is a well-known scholar of modern China，and he is transitional characterin the developmental history about bamboo ships. On the research of JuYan Bamboo Slips, heinherited Wang Guowei and Lao Gan and inspired Chen Zhi and Xie Guihua. and he hadmade a great break-through on the research method.: First, Chen improved the old methods inthe past—only studying bamboo slips of themselves, instead, he attached some importance tothe analysis of the bamboo slips excavated sites, then he improved the bamboo slips sciencefrom studying purely through text to the height of studying under scientific theories andmethods of modern archeology; Second, studying based on the bamboo slips, Chen alsoextensively use the knowledge of paleography, edition science and other aspects, he aslocombined the literature of Bamboo slips with physical literature of inscriptions, indcaps, seals,etc, as well as traditional text documents, to study historial issues cross-referencely. What’smore, he also paid attention to the internal connections，patching and classification of thebamboo slips, and he studied various historical issues in of Han Dynasty both from parts tothe whole.Under the guidance of the above-mentioned methods, on the basis of Wang Guowei, LaoGan and He Changqun, Chen made great achievements in research of Han Dynasty’s Frontierdefense system, beacon system, salary system, etc.In Han Dynasty’s Frontier defense system, by studying bamboo slips, Chen largelyrestored the defense system of the Jianshui and Juyan, two Duwei(都尉) of Zhangye County,and he also deduced that warning system of the border prefect (which was a governmentposition in ancient China), should be a four-degree defensive structure, that is Duwei(都尉)–Houguan(候官)-Houzhang(候长)-Suizhang(燧长). In addition, He also speculated thegeographical position of some important torch forts，then Chen drew the conclusion that “theJuyan Duwei should be in the third or fourth section of Mu-durbeljin(A8), Jianshui sectorshould be in Ulan-durbeljin (A33), Jianshui Duwei in the Taralingin-durbeljin (A35),Jiaqusector in Mu-durbeljin (A8), Sajing sector in the Boro-tsonch (P9), Tianbei sector inTsonchein-ama (A1), Guangdi sector in (A24) or Tsakhortej (A27), and Tuota sector may bein F159”.In the beacon system, Chen broke the authoritative statement of Wang Guowei“Feng(烽), mainly for the night, and Sui(燧) mainly for the day”, and he proposed a verydifferent point of view of “Feng(烽), mainly for the day, and Sui(燧) mainly for the night”,which opened up new ideas for later scholars to study beacon system. In addition,in hisopinion, there are six kinds of flame signals in Han Dynasty:(1) Non-combustible beacon (2) non-combustible flags,(3) smoke released from beacon fire (4) smoke released from kitchen(5) torch for the night,(6) firewood, both for the day and night, which release smoke duringthe day and flame in the night. But the first and third kinds are merely inferred, which can notbe sure.In Han Dynasty’s salary system, according to his research, Chen drew severalconclusions. Firstly, since in Qin Dynasty, the government used dan(石)(dan is a unit ofweight for measuring in ancient china) as a symbol of the rank level, so in the Early Period ofthe Emperor Han Gaozu, and Emperor Han Huidi, the government paid about two thousanddan to Zuoshi(佐使) or the same rank, etc. Secondly, since in the period from the lateEmperor Han Wudi to the late Period of Western Han Dynasty, the government paid theirofficers money for their salary, and cloth for salary sometimes, and during this period,thetypes of rank may become less or more, and official rank levels may grow up and down, butthose whose salary are under three hundred dan, got their salary rised twice by5/10.Thirdly,in Wangmang Dynasty, the government Inherited the same system of Western Han Dynasty,but in the last six years the government had attempted to use grain instead of money for thesalary, which seems affected the period before the26th year of Jianwu(建武). Lastly, in Aprilof twentieth year of Jianwu in Eastern Han Dynasty, the government founded a new system--Half money and half grain for the salary, which was implemented untill the late of EasternHan Dynasty without any change. Then In the Yanping（延平）Period, the grain was replacedby rice.Certainly, the above-mentioned views arising from bamboo slips research pointed byChen Mengjia, were supplemented and improved by scholars, such as We Qixiang, ChuShibin, Shi Weiqing. The various views became more and more perfect with continuallyexplored as time goes on.