J-Documentary Sources.doc

J-Documentary Sources In ancient China there were a number of different materials that were used for writing. In addition to metal and stone, which were used for inscriptions, the Chinese of the Zhou through Han periods used bamboo and wood. About the sixth or seventh centuries B.C. writing on silk began to appear. Silk was a common writing material until about the sixth century A.D. The use of paper for writing material is known as early as the second century A.D. For an excellent survey of the history of Chinese writing materials, see Tsien Tsuen-hsuin 錢存訓, Written on Bamboo and Silk; The Be