Illustrated History of Chinese Characters

Author: (Japanese) Tetsuo Akatsuki
Translator: Gao Wenhan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This book is divided into two parts: Part I is a general introduction to the history of Chinese characters. It primarily examines the development of Chinese characters from the Neolithic Age to the modern era, exploring their significant role in social progress and their historical status. Part II focuses on the history of writing Chinese characters. It introduces how Chinese characters were written and on what materials in the pre-printing era. In other words, it describes the writing tools and materials of Chinese characters. Modern people enjoy various writing tools and printed materials, so few people think about how texts were recorded in large quantities in the absence of paper. Without a doubt, understanding how Chinese characters were used in each era can recreate the continuously evolving cultural forms centered around writing. In other words, the study of writing is not limited to the characters themselves but also includes the cultural connotations they carry. Based on new research findings in Chinese archaeology, this book primarily features photographs of artifacts with high historical value that have been excavated, accompanied by several interpretive narratives introducing the historical context of Beijing. It can be said that this is a photographic collection of Chinese characters.
Part I is a general introduction to the history of Chinese characters. It primarily examines the development of Chinese characters from the Neolithic Age to the modern era, exploring their significant role in social progress and their historical status. Part II focuses on the history of writing Chinese characters. It introduces how Chinese characters were written and on what materials in the pre-printing era. In other words, it describes the writing tools and materials of Chinese characters. Modern people enjoy various writing tools and printed materials, so few people think about how texts were recorded in large quantities in the absence of paper. Without a doubt, understanding how Chinese characters were used in each era can recreate the continuously evolving cultural forms centered around writing. In other words, the study of writing is not limited to the characters themselves but also includes the cultural connotations they carry. Based on new research findings in Chinese archaeology, this book primarily features photographs of artifacts with high historical value that have been excavated, accompanied by several interpretive narratives introducing the historical context of Beijing. It can be said that this is a photographic collection of Chinese characters.