Getting data down to the bones of the matter

Similar to a person having former names, a piece of inscribed Chinese oracle bone can also have different names in various catalogs and publications. For global researchers in the field, efficiently pinpointing the one needed piece out of thousands of oracle bones has long been a challenge.

A group of young researchers from the Center for Research on Chinese Excavated Classics and Paleography at Fudan University in Shanghai recently accomplished a remarkable achievement to tackle this century-long issue: launching the free "Sifang Huitong" database on Oct 31.

The inscribed oracle bones, precious cultural relics imbued with profound significance, are usually kept in museums and other institutions for protection. Researchers usually relied on the original pieces' published rubbings, transcriptions and photographs for study.

Today, there are over 160,000 pieces of oracle bones scattered across the world, among which about 80,000 have been sorted and systematically published or gradually released to the public, since oracle bone inscriptions were discovered 120 years ago.

However, due to factors like the circulation of oracle bones, changes in their collection status and fragmentation over time, as well as poor photography equipment and technology in the past, a single oracle bone could be registered in multiple catalogs or other publications with different numbers and names.

Additionally, as different types of cataloging materials have their own strength, researchers usually need to compare cataloging materials to obtain more accurate information.

"A subtle difference in details may refer to a totally different character in oracle bone inscriptions," explains Jiang Yubin, a researcher at the center who specializes in oracle bone inscriptions.

As a result, scholars usually had to manually search through several catalogs to find the right piece needed for research, which was time-consuming and laborious.

But now, with the newly launched database, research is much easier and more efficient, with free access to the right piece of inscribed oracle bone.

The database collected nearly 300,000 oracle bone records, covering about 300 types of oracle bone cataloging materials published since 1903. By assigning a unique ID or account to each oracle bone, it enables users to retrieve all cataloging information for the target oracle bone with a single click.

Believed to be the most comprehensive and largest search platform for oracle bone cataloging information, the database standardized cataloging conventions, rigorously verified and corrected previous errors, and added over a thousand explanatory notes based on the latest academic updates.

Moreover, the database is linked to another platform that integrates updates on rejoined oracle bone pieces, which basically matches separated pieces of the same oracle bone. This move can significantly help researchers reduce repetitive searches and further facilitate the study of the inscriptions.

"It is extremely convenient, and I rely on it a lot. It's so helpful," says Jiang, smiling.

Notably, the development of the database is not a commercial project but a volunteer effort: four doctoral students born in the 1990s (some have graduated so far) at the center built it together.

The team started working on the project in their spare time in July 2023, driven by their own practical needs and a vision of contributing to global oracle bone inscription research.

Piece after piece, day after day, the team spent over two "boring" years alone, proofreading the massive amount of cataloging materials, each carefully handling hundreds of research documents.

Cheng Minghui from the team is particularly inspired by the immense efforts that pioneer scholars had devoted over the century to the research of oracle bone inscriptions, despite poor conditions in which they could only compile early comparison tables manually and with hand-cut pieces.

Taking the baton from the pioneers, the team members are driven by a sense of mission, hoping that their efforts will spare future researchers from having to repeat this tedious and mechanical work. They also warmly welcome all users to join in future updates and the co-creation of the database.

"We are sticking to the sincere idea that academia should be a public resource for all. With this fully open database, we hope to lower the threshold for the study of oracle bone inscriptions — not only for researchers worldwide, but also for ordinary enthusiasts," says Cheng.

Xu Yuehao from the team, who graduated from the center and became a university lecturer, adds that the database could even play a significant role in the future recovery of overseas oracle bones, many of which are the nation's lost cultural relics.

"The cataloging data done by previous scholars is regarded as critical evidence to retrieve cultural relics. In the process of compiling the data, we have discovered and corrected many minor errors, helping restore the provenance of many oracle bone pieces," explains Xu.

Looking to the future, the continually updated database is also expected to serve as a cornerstone of the center's further application of artificial intelligence technologies. In recent years, the center has been stepping up efforts in building four databases, covering its research expertise in excavated classics, such as oracle bone inscriptions and Mawangdui silk manuscripts.

Jiang points out that the integration of humanities research and AI or other cutting-edge technologies has to be based on a large collection of accurate academic data. Joining hands with Fudan University's various other departments, the center is actively making interdisciplinary efforts to enhance the reconstruction of Chinese classical studies.

The center's younger members are also making efforts to bring classical studies to the broader public. A team of doctoral students at the center, born in the 2000s, has developed trendy cultural and creative products themed on oracle bone inscriptions, such as bags, mouse mats, stickers, and cards.

"These products are not merely aesthetically appealing; they also embody great academic significance. With them, we hope to convey our scholarly concepts and better introduce these classics to everyone," says Duo Gao'ang, one of the developers of the cultural and creative products.