Dunhuang Qijing 敦煌碁經

Qijing 碁經, today called Dunhuang Qijing 敦煌碁經 (敦煌棋經) is a manuscript with a text on chess found in Dunhuang 敦煌, Gansu. The author is unknown, but it dates from the Northern Zhou period 北周 (557-581).

The beginning of the text is missing, and some words towards the end. The Qijing from Dunhuang is the oldest surviving original text on Chinese chess. It is enriched by an appendix consisting of Emperor Wu's 梁武帝 (r. 502-549) notes, Qiping yaolüe 棋評要略. In 1990, Cheng Enyuan 成恩元 published an annotated modern edition, Dunhuang qijing jianzheng 箋證.

Figure 1. A text on a boardgame ("chess") from Dunhuang

Beginning of the surviving fragment of the Dunhuang Qijing 敦煌碁經 (Or.8210/S.5574), International Dunhuang Programme.