that the story might be based on the fact that the Qin palace was razed in 207 BC and many books were undoubtedly lost at that time. Martin Kern adds that Qin and early Han writings frequently cite the Classics, especially the Documents and the Classic of Poetry, which would not have been possible if they had been burned, as reported.

Western Han dynasty

Five Classics

The Five Classics are five pre-Qin texts that became part of the state-sponsored curriculum during the Western Han dynasty,

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