During the expansion of a research facility near Xi'an, archaeologists have unearthed a subterranean bunker containing a rare Qin Dynasty administrative archive. Unlike previous finds of legal or military records, this collection of over 500 carbonized wooden slips is dedicated to the Registry of Mountain and River Spirits. The texts detail state-sanctioned rituals and sacrifices ordered by the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to appease local deities during his imperial tours.
The slips provide a fascinating glimpse into the theological geography of the early Chinese empire, listing specific sacred peaks and river bends that required architectural interventions, such as stone stelae or ritual pits, to maintain cosmic order. The discovery suggests that the Qin administration was as obsessed with mapping the supernatural realm as it was with governing the physical world. Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology researchers are currently using multi-spectral imaging to recover faded ink characters from the fragile wood surfaces.