Archaeological research on the origin and technology of “Qidian” in Ming Dynasty

“Qidian”, “Qiai”, “Qishe”, and “Qigui” were regarded as the “Four Treasures of Kichow” in Li Shizhen’s hometown. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, “Qidian” had been a tribute for the central authority. “Qidian” has been highly praised in the poetry and prose of the Tang and Song dynasties. The Qi Chun county annals records that the craftsman Ye Caihua’s bamboo weaving skill was exceptional in Qichun, and his classic “Shuangfeng Chaoyang” Zhudian won the Golden award in the Panama world fair in 1915. However, “Qidian” had disappeared and the manufacturing process had also been lost. In 1974, a valuable “Qidian” sample was unearthed in Liu Jiaju’s tomb, Wangyao Village, Qizhou town, Qichun County, Hubei Province. The tomb dated back to 1516–1558 (the Ming dynasty). The front of the “Qidian” sample is yellow brown, and its back is yellowish white; it is about 183 cm long and 65 cm wide. Features of “Qidian” as light as cotton and soft like cloth, it can be folded at will, which indicates that its toughness is very good. Based on the existing research of the flexibility and uses of bamboos in Flora Hubeiensisi , we speculate that “Qidian” originated from Phyllostachys , Neosinocalamus or Bambusa . The “Qidian” sample and many bamboo species from Qichun were used to manufacture bamboo charcoal and were examined by means of scanning the ultrastructure with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A total of 12 genera were recorded in Flora Hubeiensisi , these include Bambusa , Brachystachyum , Chimonobambusa , Fargesia , Indocalamus , Lingnania , Phyllostachys , Pleioblastus , Pseudosasa , Qiongzhuea , Sinarundinaria , and Sinocalamus . Based on its description of bamboos in Bamboo culm anatomy of China , pits of different genera showed significant differences. Pits were arranged alternately in Bambusa, Lingnania , and Sinocalamus , while pits were arranged stepwise in Brachystachyum and Qiongzhuea . However, the pits were arranged alternately, took on a ladder shape, or faced in the opposite direction in Chimonobambusa , Indocalamus , Phyllostachys , Pleioblastus , Pseudosasa , and Sinarundinaria . “Qidian” has been hypothesised to originate from Phyllostachys or Pleioblastus according to arrangement of pits. The experimental results showed that some pits were longitudinally extended in “Qidian” and Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver, pits of other bamboo samples were ladder-shaped or alternately arranged in patterns. Therefore, we speculate that “Qidian” originates from Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver. and its related species. The investigation of ancient poetry indicated the characteristics of the unearthed “Qidian” relics were in accordance with this description. The processing technology of “Qidian” has been discussed on the basis of section analysis. Based on the comparison of the ultrastructural features of “Qidian” and Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver, which were observed through the scanning electron microscope, it can be concluded that “Qidian” can be extracted from the ground tissues in the outer side of Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver. As one of the four treasures of Qizhou, “Qidian” is a typical part of China’s material and cultural heritage. It has obvious cultural characteristics and profound academic value. The archaeological research on the origin and production technology of “Qidian” in the Ming dynasty provides a basis for the cultural restoration of the cultural relic of “Qidian” in Qichun.