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1400 BCE
Written Records
The Shang Dynasty left the world with the first written records. Ancient Chinese scripts were etched into turtle shells and animal bones, known as oracle bones, which were used for divination in the royal court. -
800 BCE
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is defined as decorative handwriting, and while it was invented by Kukai in 800BC, it wasn't widely practiced until the 7th century with the introduction of Buddhist manuscripts. This letting has become a form of art, writers and artists alike using it to capture attention of viewers, now popular around the world. -
256 BCE
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou dynasty brought forth religious texts in its time, scriptures and books which the citizens would look to for guidance and inspiration. Such texts were from the religions Buddhism and Taoism. -
105
The Creation of Paper
Paper is arguably the most influential Chinese invention, used all over the world, in the everyday life of billions of people. The art of paper making is recorded to have been reported to Eastern Han Emperor Ho-di by Ts'ai Lun, an official of the Imperial Court, and since then the creation flourished. -
800
Script Adaption
The Chinese writing system is the oldest in all of East Asia, causing it to be adapted by many of its neighboring countries. Some of the first signs of this influence was around 800AD, when the Japanese began to write in Chinese script and adjust it to their preference. -
809
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow is a poem written by Bai Juyi, following the story of concubine of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Yang Guifei. Almost immediately after its release, it inspired many other poets and artists to create, resulting in more pieces of art and literature. There have also been many literary, political, visual, musical and film works have been based on or referencing the Song of Everlasting Sorrow. -
906
Wood Blocking Printing
The method of wood blocking printing was invented in the Tang dynasty, allowing an easy way of making copies of texts and tales. With the ease of wood blocking printing came the spreading of knowledge and books as they were made more easily accessible to the common people. -
1041
Movable Type
The movable type is a system of printing, composed of movable characters used to make copies of texts. It was created by Bi Sheng during the Song dynasty, his original invention being made of porcelain. -
1386
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty brought forth novels which greatly contributed to the literary movement. It grew out of storytelling and Buddhist preaching, the two most popular literary forms during the Southern Sung. -
Reign of the Kangxi Emperor
In the Qing dynasty, the Chinese were recovering from self inflicted isolation, as observed by the West. This resulted in literature of a self realizing sense in which Chinese narratives returned to their former glory.
