“Tso Chuan” on ancient bamboo revealed to public

Hangzhou (CNS) -- A copy of literature from the "Tso Chuan" inscribed on Chu bamboo strips dating back to 340 B.C. was officially unveiled to the public at a university museum in Zhejiang Province on Tuesday.

The "Tso Chuan" was probably written in the third century B.C. and is a classic work of early Chinese traditional prose.

The batch of strips is now being kept at the Zhejiang University Museum of Art and Archaeology. It is the only such copy that exists in China, according to the museum.

The ancient bamboo strips were stolen and sold abroad in 2008, said Cao Jinyan, director of the museum. Fortunately an alumnus of Zhejiang University named Zhu Guoying bought the strips and returned them in 2009.

The book is a vivid account of events during the crucial period from 722 to 468 B.C. It focuses on political, diplomatic and military affairs, but also reveals much about the economic and cultural developments during the turbulent era when China's warring feudal states worked toward unification.