4+Periods+of+Developing+Chinese+Writing

The Chinese writing system has changed over time, but there are three main periods of developing Chinese writing.  Back to Chinese Writing page
 * The first period of developing Chinese writing was the Jia-gu wen period. Jia-gu wen means 'Oracle Bone' because of where the Chinese wrote their first symbols and writing. During this time, Chinese writing was pictoral symbols that were infrequently etched on turtle shells and animals bones. Most of the writing samples from the Jia-gu wen period date back to 1500-1000 B.C. Most of the samples are in museums of the Shang Dynasty.
 * The second period of developing Chinese writing began in 1100 B.C.- 700 B.C., called the Da [[image:Party_light.gif width="137" height="137" align="right"]]zhuan period. As etching symbols on bones became less popular, people began to write their more intricate writing symbols on cast bronze vessels. Da zhuan means 'Greater Seal.'
 * Xian zhuan was the next period of growth in the Chinese writing period. As the writing itself began to develop, so did where the Chinese wrote their writing. The Chinese began to write their flowing language in characters on bamboo scrolls, sometimes you could also find the calligraphy on landscape paintings and silk writings. The words of the language began to take on a more intricate, flowing look- the characters we would normally associate with Chinese writing and calligraphy. Also in this period, Chinese writing was accepted more as an art.
 * The last period of developing Chinese writing was the Lis Shu period. During this time period of growth in calligraphy, the modern Chinese writing system began to form. The writing lost its flowing look, and began to be more efficient to write rather than pretty. The writing system also began easier to write with pens and brushes and paper, making it better for modern language.