Newly analyzed bamboo slips dating from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) have revealed the earliest known Chinese writings focused on horse care and management. Discovered within a large collection held by Tsinghua University, these texts provide detailed instructions on evaluating, training, treating, and managing horses, reflecting a sophisticated understanding of equine physiology and behavior. The five identified treatises—Xuma, Fan Ma Zhi Ji, Xunma, Yushu, and Yuma Zhi Dao—cover topics from horse classification and illnesses to training techniques and philosophical insights on horse and human governance, collectively forming the oldest encyclopedic work on horse care in China.

This decade-long research project, led by Tsinghua University, not only enriches historical knowledge of animal husbandry and early veterinary science but also employs modern methods like computational paleography and artificial intelligence. The bamboo texts offer valuable insights into the social structures, technological advancements, and institutional thinking of the pre-Qin era, underscoring the significance of classical Chinese scholarship in the development of early civilization.