Excavated bamboo slips tell evolution of Chinese reading habits

"As evidenced by the bamboo slips, we can see that after the ban was lifted, borrowing, giving and collecting books became a social trend," Zhang said.

"Later, both the royal family and local governments amassed an unprecedentedly rich collection of books. More people read books and libraries began to emerge during the Western Han Dynasty," he added.

Following a series of conservation processes, the cleaned bamboo slips have been archived for research and exhibitions.

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 25, 2019 shows the Tuzishan relics site in the city of Yiyang, central China's Hunan Province.

　(Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau of Yiyang/Handout via Xinhua)