[Video/chinadaily.com.cn]

An exhibition displaying ancient bamboo slips from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) is currently being held at the Shandong Museum in Jinan, Shandong province

The exhibition highlights the latest achievements in the research and protection of the ancient bamboo slips in recent years.

The main focus of the exhibition is the bamboo slips from two Chinese military classics – Sun Tzu: The Art of War (Sunzi Bingfa) and Sun Bin: The Art of War (Sunbin Bingfa). The exhibition will last until July 25.

Sun Tzu is a general who lived in the State of Wu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), and his work The Art of War is internationally recognized as the earliest theoretical work on military strategy. Sun Bin, a descendent of Sun Tzu, focused more on the practical matters of warfare in his book.

These bamboo slips were unearthed in an ancient tomb at the foot of the Yinque Mountain in Linyi, Shandong province in 1972. The discovery sheds new light on the life of Sun Tzu and his contributions to China's military history and ends doubts about the historical existence of Sun Tzu that was held by many Chinese historians for centuries.

A prevalent theory in the early 20th century was that Sun Tzu was actually Sun Bin. However, the bamboo strips provided evidence that they were two different strategists in the Warring States Period who had written two different military books.