Over 1,000 ancient bamboo slips (jiandu) that highlight the flourishing trade and diplomacy of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) Silk Road were unveiled at the Gansu Jiandu Museum on June 7, 2023. Many of these artifacts are being publicly displayed for the first time, providing valuable historical insights.

Two "mileage slips" offer concrete evidence of the Han Dynasty Silk Road routes. The Juyan mileage slip, excavated in 1974 in Inner Mongolia, records 20 postal stations linking Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an, Shaanxi province) to Zhangye county. The Xuanquan mileage slip, found in 1990 in Dunhuang, details 12 stations between Wuwei and Dunhuang. These documents helped secure UNESCO recognition for the Silk Roads: The Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor in 2014.

The Record of the Envoys of the King of Kangju, made of seven slips, recounts the stories of envoys from the Kangju Kingdom in Dunhuang. Another slip records the King of Qiuci and his wife's high-status reception at Xuanquan Post. A Buddhist slip confirmed to date back to the Eastern Han (25-220) provides evidence of Buddhism's presence in Dunhuang at the time.

"These vivid slip texts are highly valuable. They fill gaps in historical records and bring to life the Han Dynasty's frontier defense system and the thriving Silk Road," said Zhu Jianjun, director of the Gansu Jiandu Museum.

The museum, spanning 37,000 square meters, features four permanent exhibitions, combining artifact displays, interactive media, and reconstructions.