"Yunmeng Qin Bamboo Slips" was written by an official named Xi in the Qin Dynasty, who was only a grass-roots official of the Qin State. Let us imagine such a picture. More than 2,000 years ago, when Qin Shihuang was about to complete the great cause of reunifying China, in Yunmeng, Hubei Province, a grass-roots official wrote down his work record on bamboo slips the thickness of chopsticks by dim light every night. This writing is decades, and he wrote more than 40 thousand words!
There are many contents related to criminal law in Yunmeng Qin bamboo slips, including some very detailed provisions, such as picking locks: in this law of Qin Dynasty, there are very strict provisions on picking locks on sliding doors, such as why to pick locks, whether to pry them open, or how to calculate them. Therefore, by studying these laws, we can know how our moral concepts and the relationship between people and society gradually evolved into today's China people and China culture.
Qin bamboo slips stipulate that officials must bring their own rations on business trips, and they are not allowed to bring more than one dish and one soup in urban and rural areas of subordinate counties; When officials are transferred, they can't bring their subordinates to prevent direct affiliation and corruption; It also stipulates that in the event of domestic violence, the beard and sideburns of the perpetrator should be shaved; If you fight in the street and hurt someone, you should punish the Great Wall. It also stipulates that you are not allowed to leave and destroy within a hundred steps.
Yunmeng Qin bamboo slips recorded the household registration management, how to manage the community, how to control the population, and even everyone's work and tax service, which were clearly recorded.
There is a case of stealing a cave in Qin bamboo slips, which is the earliest on-the-spot investigation in China and even the world, and has a detailed and comprehensive record. In the case, the footprints were recorded in great detail, including the pattern, density, length and width of the front foot, and the length of the back foot and even the whole foot.
There's also something about forensic investigation of the scene. The Collection of Questioning Prison compiled by Song Ci should be the earliest monograph on forensic medicine in the world, but the Collection of Questioning Prison on Yunmeng Qin Bamboo Slips is more than 1000 years earlier than the Collection of Questioning Prison. There are many hanging, killing, living, head tests, and most importantly, there are many death judgments.
Qin bamboo slips also recorded many legal and moral concepts that are still very important today, such as the earliest Consumer Protection Law, which stipulated that goods must be clearly marked and the earliest provisions must be courageous. Qin bamboo slips also contain these contents, including interrogating prisoners, not torturing them, convincing others with virtue and so on. These contents were determined more than 2000 years ago.
Qin bamboo slips also mentioned protecting the natural environment. More than 2000 years ago, we couldn't find any polluted places at all, and our ancestors had environmental awareness. It is clearly recorded in the Qin bamboo slips "Tianlu" that birds are not allowed to catch, animals are not allowed to catch and trees are not allowed to be cut down after February in spring, and it will only open in July in summer. This is very enlightening for us to build a modern ecological civilization now.
In fact, perhaps this official named Xi doesn't know that he is in a big era. It was the first time that China was truly unified, but it was precisely because of its diligence and dedication that today's people were fortunate enough to feel the surging of the times and the rise of the empire. When a great era comes, in fact, many little people are doing what they should do conscientiously, but when each of us can do our best in our own work, this era must be a great era!
People will die, bamboo slips will decay, but the spirit behind the law will certainly last for thousands of years.
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia-Bamboo Slips of Qin Tomb in Sleeping Tiger Land