Bamboo and wooden slips

Okay, so you know how we write on paper right? Well, long long ago, people in China used bamboo and wooden sticks to write things down instead of paper.

Bamboo is like a tall grass that is hollow on the inside. People would cut the bamboo into thin strips and then shave off the outside layer to make it smooth. Then, they would write words or symbols with a brush or pen on the freshly smooth inside part of the bamboo.

Wooden slips are kind of like wooden sticks, but wider and flatter. People would cut thin pieces of wood that were long and skinny, and then they would carve words or symbols onto the flat surface.

Both bamboo and wooden slips were used to write things down, like books or letters, but people would have to use a lot of them because only a little bit could be written on each one.

Nowadays, we use paper instead of bamboo or wooden slips because it's easier to write on and it's more abundant. But using bamboo and wooden slips was a really cool way for people in ancient China to record and share information!