Chu identity as seen from its manuscripts: a reevaluation

The question of Chu's cultural affinity perplexed - and continues to perplex - traditional and modern scholars. Some view it as the cultural Other of the Zhou world, while others believe that this state fundamentally belonged to the Zhou cultural sphere. The difficulty in assessing Chu's cultural trajectory derives in not a small measure from the bias of traditional sources, all of which were composed or compiled in the northern and eastern parts of the Zhou world. Yet recently discovered Chu historical manuscripts allow us to overcome this northeastern bias. How much do the newly available texts display - if at all - a distinct Chu identity? Do they present an alternative version of Chu history? Who were their audience? By answering these questions I hope both to revisit the question of Chu's relations to the Zhou (Chinese) world, and to put forward novel understandings of the usages of history writing in preimperial China.