In terms of public discourse, the pre-Qin period was all about letting a hundred schools of thought contend. It generated light, big time. But it generated heat, big time too. Does it sound like today's social media? You bet. Pre-Qin social media was as much a debate hall as a popularity-contest arena. Debaters could be rational to a fault. They could also be irrational to a tee. "Whatever works." They targeted the powers that be. They never quite forgot the mass, though. How did they get their messages across? They tweeted. What they tweeted on were bamboo slips. They didn't have to worry about Big Tech censorship. 

A bamboo slip carried words, elegantly written. It made a point, designed to be remembered and recited. It was slim in shape and light in weight, conveniently being passed around for messaging. In every town square, bamboo slip messengers would likely attract people's attention. A marketplace could easily turn into a media outlet broadcasting news and comments. Literate or illiterate, folks could have their share of what the hundred schools of thought had to say, until everyone was silenced by the First Emperor.

Speaking of the First Emperor, Qin's book-burning business was not a spectacular success. For one thing, a book made of bamboo slips could often be put together or put apart at short notice. This flexibility gave the banned books a new lease on life. 

Let a hundred schools of thought contend.

Author: Lingyang Jiang