"Prince Diary" - School is back! What was written on the "leave note" over 3,000 years ago?

At the beginning of September, the autumn breeze brought coolness, and colleges and universities across the country welcomed the start of the new semester. There was also a young man from more than 3,000 years ago who was also full of longing for campus life.

This young man came to us from the Shang Dynasty's "Zi Qi Enrollment" divination tortoise shell. This relatively complete plastron of a flowered tortoise was unearthed in the east of Huayuanzhuang in Yinxu and is now stored in the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. There are 5 divination records on the front of the shell, among which the inscription "Dingmao divination: Zi Qi Enrollment, Ruo Yong" records the "Zi" asking about the "schooling" matter.

Recently, this reporter visited the Yinxu Museum in Anyang. In the "Who Are You?" exhibition hall, the tour guide Wang Zihan told the reporter that based on numerous unearthed oracle bone inscriptions, most scholars in the academic community believe that "Zi" should be the son of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty, that is, "Xiao Ji" in ancient books, and "Xiao Wang" in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty, and is the "officially" certified "Shang Dynasty college student."

Through this oracle, we seem to be able to travel through time and space and see the young prince kneeling devoutly in front of the ancestral tablet, waiting for his "admission notice".

Prince's curriculum: both cultural education and moral cultivation

Did the Shang Dynasty, this ancient and mysterious dynasty, really have a "university"? The Book of Rites records: "Xia Xu, Yin Xue, Zhou Jiao Xiang." The literature mentions the establishment of school teaching places in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. The word "university" was first seen in the Shang Dynasty oracle bone inscriptions, which was the name of the place where the children of the nobility were educated.

The universities in the Shang Dynasty were called "Gu Zong" and "You Xue". They were located in the ancestral temples, and were taught by people of high moral character and profound knowledge, specializing in teaching the noble children advanced knowledge such as rituals and music. These schools were not only places for imparting knowledge, but also important places for cultivating the morality, skills and etiquette of the noble children. The education in the Shang Dynasty focused on cultivating the comprehensive qualities of the noble children and implemented an education model of "both civil and military". That is, with "practicing martial arts + practicing etiquette + calligraphy" as the main content, it already had the prototype of the later "six arts" education. This education model aims to cultivate rulers who respect gods, value filial piety, are brave and good at fighting, so as to maintain the ruling order and pass on culture.

Therefore, although "Zi" was the son of the Shang king, he had to enter the "University" to receive instruction and study a number of skills such as "archery", "driving", "dance" and "music".

"Shooting" is a basic skill that "Zi" must master as a prince. In the oracle bone inscriptions unearthed in the east of Huayuanzhuang in Yinxu, there are many divinations about "Zi" choosing bows and arrows in hunting activities. For example, "two bows for Zi's hunting" is about "Zi" asking whether to use two "bows" for hunting. These divinations not only show the little prince's cautious attitude in choosing equipment, but also reflect the importance that the Shang Dynasty nobles attached to hunting activities and their attention to and sense of ritual in choosing tools.

In addition to "shooting", "driving" is also a compulsory course for princes. In the Shang Dynasty, driving was required for both hunting and war, so driving was a necessary skill for the nobles. Therefore, "Zi" also had to "take a driver's license test". Among the oracle bones unearthed in the east of Huayuanzhuang in Yinxu, more than 30 pieces of records all involve horses. "Zi" often ordered the princes and other subordinates to collect and pay tribute to horses for him, and personally divined the health status of horses and the use of horses. These oracle inscriptions show "Zi"'s love for horses everywhere, and are also a record of the horse breeding industry and the use of horses in the Shang Dynasty.

"Dance" was an important skill that the nobles of the Shang Dynasty had to possess, and it was also one of the main subjects studied by the "Zi", and there were many types of dances. These dances do not only refer to performance dances in the traditional sense, but also refer to the drills of group soldiers, which played an important role in various rituals and military activities at the time. "Ding Came to Watch the Dance of the Zi" records that King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty came to watch the dance performance of the "Zi", reflecting the prosperity of the music and dance culture of the Shang Dynasty, and vividly presenting the attention of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty to the "Zi"'s studies, allowing us to see the vivid image of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty as a "chicken baby" father more than 3,000 years ago.

Zi Qi Yi, Yi Wang Xue: China's earliest "leave request"

"Zi" also got sick sometimes. When he couldn't go to school due to illness, he would call someone to divine and ask the ancestors whether they agreed not to go to school. "Zi Qi Yi, Wan Go to School?" is about "Zi" asking whether to go to "university" due to illness. He had to communicate with ghosts and gods to ask for leave due to illness, which shows that even a "prince" needs to abide by the rules and regulations of the school. This ancient divination opens a window for us to look back at ancient Chinese civilization, and also allows us to see the interesting connection between ancient and modern times - no matter which era a student is from, he cannot skip classes without reason.

In this season of school opening, we not only welcome a new batch of cute babies, but also, through the oracle bone inscriptions in the "Prince's Diary", we have a wonderful resonance with this "Shang Dynasty college student" more than 3,000 years ago. Whether it is the admission notice, the driver's license test, the choice of choice, the "chicken baby" old father or the leave note... These fragments of life that are connected to the past and the present make us feel the permanence of human emotions. The true meaning of history may be hidden in these subtle and interesting connections, waiting for us to discover and appreciate.