“The Book of Changes“ from the depths of time

This article seeks to systematize the earliest copies of the “Book of Changes” discovered in archaeological excavations in China during the 20th century. The main focus is laid on the description of the silk manuscript discovered in 1973 in Mawangdui (Changsha), which also indicates some scholarly debates on the structure of the canonical text “64 hexagrams” and its commentaries. It is shown that the Mawangdui manuscript might also be in correlation with the text “Guizang” which has long been considered lost. This article also gives a brief description of 2-other copies of the “Book of Changes”: texts on bamboo strips found during excavations in Shuanggudui in 1977, and texts on bamboo strips, published by Shanghai Museum in 2003.

Book of Changes (Classic of Changes), I Ching (Yi Jing), Zhou yi, 64 hexagrams, silk manuscript, Mawangdui, Shuanggudui, Guizang, Shanghai Museum