What was the earliest form of Chinese writing used for? The earliest known inscriptions were used for oracular divination, incised on pieces of bone and tortoiseshell during the Shang dynasty. These inscriptions were typically 10 to 60 characters in length.
Ancient Chinese writing evolved from the practice of divination during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE). Some theories suggest that images and markings on pottery shards found at Ban Po Village are evidence of an early writing system but this claim has been challenged repeatedly.
From the Late Shang period (c. 1250 – c. 1050 BCE), Chinese writing evolved into the form found in cast inscriptions on ritual bronzes made during the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046 – 771 BCE) and the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BCE), a form of writing called bronze script (金文; jīnwén).
Step into the world of Chinese writing – both restrained and elegant – where each character links past and present, image and meaning, and tradition and the living word. The origins of Chinese writing can be traced back over three millennia, to the late Shang dynasty around 1200 BCE.