Imagine yourself as a common soldier, or “shiwu” (士伍), living in Mianling County, Dongting Commandery, around 220 BCE. Life under the Qin Dynasty, though marked by grand military conquests and legalistic governance, was anything but easy. From the clothes you wore to the superstitions you believed, daily existence was a mix of harsh discipline, odd remedies, and a deep respect for the unseen forces of the world.

Clothing Over Limbs: The Importance of Attire

In the famous novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there’s a line that equates wives to clothing and brothers to limbs. But in Qin times, this analogy might have been reversed—clothes were nearly as valuable as livestock or real estate, while limbs were frequently lost due to brutal punishments. The Qin legal system often resorted to “yuexing” (刑刑), or corporal punishment, including foot amputation. Meanwhile, Feng Zhen Shi (封证式) records cases of stolen garments, emphasizing their importance as prized possessions.

Fruits, Feathers, and Fierce Beasts

Mianling, like much of the Yangtze River basin, was a land of rich biodiversity. The Liye Qin Slips (里耶秦简) list a variety of crops and livestock. Among them was the special fruit zhigou (梓梷), likely today’s Hovenia dulcis (Japanese raisin tree), described in Compendium of Materia Medica as a remedy for hangovers and insect bites.

Wildlife was abundant, with frequent mentions of hunting. Birds, such as the white pheasant (bai zhi, 白雉), were highly valued, possibly as tax tribute or for ornamental purposes. Monkeys (yuan, 猿), swift and elusive, required special organized hunts, overseen by officials. However, the most perilous quarry was the tiger (hu, 虎). In pre-Qin China, tigers were so common that historical records frequently mention them attacking settlements. Government-sanctioned tiger hunts were conducted using specially designed chariots and fresh meat bait. The rewards were significant—capturing a tiger could grant six men exemption from forced labor.

Ghosts, Superstitions, and Strange Rituals

Despite the Qin Dynasty’s reputation for legalistic efficiency, its people were deeply superstitious. The Jiejiu (辮咒) texts catalog an extensive list of ghosts and spirits, including ci gui (刺鬼, piercing ghost) and you gui (游鬼, wandering ghost). Various exorcism methods were employed, from shouting loudly to scattering dog feces. The region’s Chu heritage reinforced its spiritual customs—inscriptions from Liye reveal that even official documents contained protective spells against evil spirits.

One curious discovery from Liye was a wooden tablet inscribed with the word “urgent” repeated multiple times. While it might seem like a military order, it was actually a spell to ward off evil, akin to the later Daoist phrase ji ji ru lü ling (急急如律令, urgent like a legal command). The belief in protective peach wood talismans also persisted, with one document stating, “Peach is the essence of the five elements; it repels malevolent forces.”

Medical Marvels and Mysterious Remedies

Health care was primitive, to say the least. One of the most feared diseases was li (疥), or leprosy. Han Feizi even used “pitying a king like pitying a leper” to describe a ruler’s misfortune. Qin records detail diagnostic criteria such as nasal disfigurement and loss of sweat glands. Once diagnosed, the afflicted were sent to “liqiansuo” (疥迁所), or isolation camps, to await their fate.

Qin medicine relied on highly questionable treatments. One remedy for intestinal illness involved drinking fermented rice water. Another bizarre prescription for an unnamed disease required burning a sword and soaking it in liquor before consuming the liquid. To prevent illness, some texts advised gathering the droppings of wood-boring insects from peach trees and mixing them into medicinal wine.

The Search for Immortality and the Reality of Death

Despite Qin Shi Huang’s obsession with eternal life, evidenced by edicts demanding every county submit “immortal medicine,” death was inevitable. The Liye Qin Slips document the distribution of cheap wooden coffins called “hui” (榥), and meticulous records ensured proper burials. Burial customs were dictated by Rishu (日书, Qin almanacs), which listed auspicious and inauspicious days for funerals. A misstep in funeral scheduling could supposedly bring about additional deaths in the family.

In the end, whether emperor or peasant, all Qin citizens met the same fate—returning to the earth, their legacy preserved in the ink of ancient bamboo slips.