The Ancient Art of Bone Crafting

Long before the Qin dynasty unified China, early humans had already mastered the art of bone craftsmanship. Archaeological evidence reveals that as early as the Paleolithic era, the Upper Cave Man fashioned animal teeth into necklaces. By the Neolithic period, bone tools evolved into sophisticated implements—shovels, knives, hairpins, and combs—each serving both practical and aesthetic purposes.

During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, large-scale bone workshops emerged in settlements across Henan and Shaanxi. These workshops processed bones from cattle, deer, pigs, and horses into tools, weapons, and ornaments. However, until recent excavations in Xianyang, the Qin capital, the specifics of bone production—locations, techniques, and economic role—remained shrouded in mystery.

The Xianyang Bone Workshop: A Missing Link

The discovery of a bone workshop in Xianyang fills a critical gap in China’s craft history. Unlike earlier sites, such as the Western Zhou’s Fengjing and Haojing (where workshops spanned 10,000 square meters and produced eclectic items), the Qin operation showcased refined specialization.

Key findings include:
– Standardized production: Focused output suggests state oversight.
– Economic surplus: Quantities exceeded imperial needs, hinting at commercial trade.
– Material sourcing: Exclusive use of cattle bones (vs. mixed species in Zhou workshops) points to centralized control.

This aligns with Qin’s reputation for bureaucratic precision—a theme echoed in legal texts.

Legal Blueprints: How Qin Bureaucracy Fueled Craft Economy

The Qin state’s involvement in commerce is starkly illustrated by the Liyey Qin Slips, which detail laws like the “Dead Livestock Sales Audit” (si fu bo mai ke). Officials were mandated to:
1. Promptly sell deceased state-owned livestock (horses, cattle).
2. Report earnings to prevent corruption.
3. Auction remains locally if animals died en route—a proto-logistics system.

The Statutes on Stables and Pastures (Jiuyuan Lü) even outlined pricing rules for bones, hides, and horns. Such micromanagement minimized waste and maximized revenue, foreshadowing Han-era policies like the Equal Transportation System (均输法), which optimized tribute trade.

The Paradox of Qin’s “Anti-Commerce” Stance

Despite profiting from state-run enterprises, Qin upheld zhongnong yishang (重农抑商, “emphasizing agriculture, suppressing commerce”). The Seven Categories of Exiles (七科谪) targeted merchants and their families for forced labor—yet records complicate this narrative:
– Merchants as soldiers: In 214 BCE, exiled merchants conquered the Lingnan region.
– Recruitment over punishment: The muren (募人) system enlisted “undesirables” (ex-convicts, merchants) as frontier troops—akin to The Dirty Dozen model.

This duality reflects pragmatism: marginalizing merchants politically while exploiting their skills.

Imperial PR: Qin’s Celebrity Endorsements

Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian spotlighted two tycoons:
1. Uzhi Luo: A nomadic trader who monopolized horse-silk exchanges with the Xiongnu. Rewarded with noble-like status.
2. Widow Qing: A Sichuan mining heiress praised for her “chastity” (贞)—a term implying both moral and financial integrity.

Their elevation served geopolitical aims: integrating frontier economies and modeling loyalty. Yet Sima Qian cynically noted: “Their fame stemmed from wealth, not virtue.” Modern TV dramas (e.g., fictional Qing-Shi Huang romances) distort this further, underscoring how easily history is “translated” into myth.

Legacy: From Bone Tools to State Capitalism

The Qin model’s echoes endure:
– Han’s monopolies: Salt, iron, and liquor taxes funded expansion.
– Song reforms: Wang Anshi’s State Trade Policy mirrored Qin’s surplus redistribution.
– Modern parallels: China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) balance market participation with political control.

The Xianyang workshop exemplifies a timeless truth: even the most rigid systems thrive by adapting—whether through bone commerce or bureaucratic innovation. As archaeologists “follow the materials,” they reveal not just artifacts, but the DNA of governance.

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### Footnotes (Embedded in Text)
1. Fu Zhongyang, “Feng-Hao Sites’ Bone Workshops,” Archaeology (2015).
2. Shuihudi Qin Slips, “Statutes on Stables and Pastures.”
3. Records of the Grand Historian, “Annals of Qin Shi Huang.”
4. Ibid., “Treatise on the Xiongnu.”
5. Ibid., “Biographies of Wealthy Merchants.”