Dissemination Patterns of Bamboo-and-Silk Manuscripts in the Han Dynasty and the Differentiation of Reading Communities

Abstract

This paper investigates the dissemination patterns of bamboo-and-silk manuscripts in the Han Dynasty and examines the differentiation of reading communities within early imperial China. As the primary documentary medium prior to the widespread use of paper, bamboo-and-silk manuscripts played a crucial role in transmitting political ideology, administrative knowledge, and practical information across diverse social strata. Drawing upon unearthed manuscript evidence, transmitted historical texts, and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks, this study integrates philological analysis, historical reconstruction, and communication theory to establish an analytical model of “dissemination–reading–social stratification.” The paper systematically reconstructs the multi-channel dissemination network of Han manuscripts, encompassing state-regulated postal systems, scholarly lineages, merchant routes, and informal interpersonal networks. It further applies sociological stratification theory to analyze how political institutions, economic accessibility, and educational structures shaped differentiated reading practices among scholar-officials, local elites, merchants, soldiers, and commoners. By incorporating interdisciplinary methods, including social network analysis and communication-channel theory, this study moves beyond text-centered approaches and reveals the dynamic mechanisms underlying knowledge circulation and cultural hierarchy in the Han Dynasty. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of ancient Chinese documentary transmission and provide historical insights relevant to contemporary studies of cultural dissemination and heritage inheritance.