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- INTRODUCTION
Running from the pastures of the Tibetan Plateau to the plains and hills of Shandong, the twists and turns of China’s Yellow River hide the gateways to understanding past civilizations. Following along the fertile banks of the Yellow River, a traveler can come upon cities like Zhengzhou. Hidden beneath Zhengzhou’s modern construction are the artifacts of an ancient Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) city. Shrouded in mystery, the ancient city known as Erligang, was unmatched in size and technology during its existence. However, the former inhabitants of Erligang left behind traces of evidence that help solve the mystery of how they lived. The evidence was not simple tools or structures, but an advanced writing system. That writing system was not just unique to Erligang, but was the form of written communication used by the Shang Dynasty. What started off in the early Shang dynasty as a simple pictographic script transformed into a complex logographic writing system, impacting the Chinese people along the way.
- EARLY CHINESE WRITING SYSTEMS
2.1 The Oracle Bone
The earliest form of a Chinese writing system was the pictographic script used on the oracle bones [4]. Being pictographic in nature, each inscription represented an object that connected to an overall concept [2]. Used from 1500 to 1000 BCE the oracle bone script was a written form of communication used by societal elites through the assistance of a diviner [2]. Essentially, an elite would hire a diviner for guidance in decision making. The diviner would then carve script into a bone or turtle shell, place it near a fire, and then interpret the results. The use of the oracle bone script impacted the Shang Dynasty’s elites by giving them a way to store records of decisions made and record personal thoughts. But, the elites themselves also had a major impact on the development of the oracle bone. As the elites asked for the diviners help more often, their questions became more complex [3]. Therefore, new characters were refined and added to the script so people could better express themselves. But, this script was still written on shells or bones, which proved to be primitive. As it turns out, the discovery of a new writing material actually led to a change in the writing system itself.
2.2 Greater Seal
While the original oracle bone script was written on shells or bones, the discovery of bronze as a usable writing material led to a new written form of communication called the greater seal. The greater seal was used in the late Shang to early Zhou dynasties (1100 BCE to 700 BCE) [4]. Although it was similar to the oracle bone script in the fact that it was pictographic, several characters were refined due to the fact that it was easier to write on bronze than bone/shells [2]. Along with the use of bronze as a writing material, the use of a brush and ink instead of etching with a stylus developed with the use of the greater seal [7]. Therefore, the greater seal could be written faster and more efficiently than the oracle bone script. But, even though the greater seal had improvements over the oracle bone script, it was still an extremely complex writing system that the majority of Shang and Zhou society did not have access to. This would cause a dramatic change in the ancient Chinese writing system as more people demand access to an easier writing system.
- THE SHIFT IN ANCIENT CHINESE WRITING
3.1 Lesser Seal
The invention of the lesser seal script represented a major shift in ancient Chinese written communication because it was more logographic in nature than its predecessors [4]. This means that the symbols began to represent concepts themselves, not just objects [2]. Lesser seal was developed in 200 BCE under the Qin Dynasty and is still used today in contemporary China [8]. Lesser seal was more simplistic to write than the oracle or greater seal script, which allowed the Qin Dynasty to standardize the writing system across its controlled areas. This standardization impacted the people of the Qin dynasty by allowing them to focus on learning to read and write one set writing system. Previous Chinese writing systems were not standardized and therefore had variations in the sizes and shapes of characters, making it harder for people to learn. Furthermore, the Chinese people themselves had a major impact on this particular writing system. Because a larger amount of people became literate, they were more willing to expand upon the religious beliefs from earlier writing systems and dynasties. Lesser seal characters were more refined and expressive, so more people took up the opportunity to use it. As more people used it, the more the writing system became recognized as a crucial part to a functioning society. For example, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Ch’in Shih Huang Ti, recognized that because the people wanted an easier writing system, his political unity was based upon a unified writing system [8]. As the lesser seal worked its way more and more into ancient Chinese society, groups of people sought to refine the writing system for the own uses.
3.2 Clerkly Script
Clerkly script serves as one of the best examples of the Chinese people’s impact on the writing system. Clerkly script became popular around 500 BCE during the Han Dynasty [4]. The Chinese word for clerkly script, 隶书 (li shu), translates to ‘the script of people of people of low status’ [8]. It was developed because the people of ‘lower status’ working for the Han dynasty needed a more rapid method of writing. They took the characters of the previous lesser seal, simplified them even further and gave the characters more flowing strokes. In turn, this impacted the Han bureaucracy by giving them a complete method of documenting government affairs. Clerkly script is still used in modern day and its characters are identical to modern Chinese characters [4]. Even though the Han government could easily document affairs using the clerkly script, it still had one major problem; an efficient writing material had not yet been invented.
3.3 Invention of Paper
Now that people of the Han Dynasty had helped develop a writing system that could be rapidly written, it caused the need for a writing material that could be manufactured faster than the bamboo scrolls that had been in use for several hundred years. Around 105 CE, paper was invented in China [5]. Paper was made by pressing a pulp of rice straw and inner tree bark, both of which were plentiful resources in China [5]. The invention of paper during the Han dynasty impacted the Chinese people, because they could not only write rapidly, but also carry and distribute written materials faster than before. Also, the Han Dynasty’s bureaucrats used paper for better record keeping. A major drawback from doing this was that documents written on paper did not last as long as those written on bamboo scrolls [5].
- CONCLUSION
The evolution of the written form of communication in China impacted the lives of millions of people. From the original oracle bone script, elites could begin to record thoughts and decisions. Then, with the greater seal, writers no longer had to rely on the slow process of etching to be able to write. Instead, they could use a brush and ink to write the elegant, yet pictographic script. Next, a breakthrough occurred with the development of the logographic lesser seal. The Qin standardized the lesser seal, allowing more people besides the elites to learn the written language. Finally, the clerkly script impacted the Chinese people by allowing them to write faster and more efficiently document bureaucratic, scientific, and religious affairs. Keeping in mind all of the ways the writing systems impacted the Chinese people, it is notable to point out that the people also impacted the language itself. From the desire to want a larger vocabulary with the oracle bone script to the need for a script that the lower status people could use with the clerkly script, the people of ancient China helped drive the writing system through phases of development. With that development, the Chinese were able to use a standardized, intricate, and mature writing system as early as 500 BCE.
References
[1] Mark, Joshua. “Ancient China.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
[2] Mark, Emily. “Chinese Writing.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 07 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
[3] Mark, Emily. “Shang Dynasty” Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
[4] “Ancient Scripts: Chinese.” Ancient Scripts: Chinese. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
[5] Violatti, Cristian. “Han Dynasty.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 27 May 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2017
[6] “Exploring Chinese History :: Culture :: Archaeology :: Neolithic and Bronze Age Cultures.” Exploring Chinese History :: Culture :: Archaeology :: Neolithic and Bronze Age Cultures. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
[7] The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Dazhuan.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 06 Sept. 2002. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.
[8] “Five Original Writing Systems.” Five Original Writing Systems. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.