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1400 BCE
Earliest evidence of Chinese writing
Earliest evidence of Chinese writing is found on Shang oracle bones. Archeologists found thousands of turtle shells covered in pictographs in 1936 dating back to about 1400 B.C. -
500 BCE
Book of Odes composed
The earliest known major literary work found in China. This was a composition of poems called the Book of Odes. -
206 BCE
Calligraphy
Calligraphy was very decorative handwriting. Chinese used calligraphy more than the mobeable type because the writing was an art form on its own. Paired with poetry and painting, these were the three great achievements. This started during the Han Dynasty. -
54
History of The Former Han
The History of The Former Han Dynasty was written by Ban Gu. This told all about the Han Dynasty until the fall and lead to the latter Han Dynasty. -
100
First Chinese Dictionary
The first Chinese dictionary was created by Xu Shen. It was created for learning purposes to learn the characters and symbols for writing, and reading. -
690
Poetry included in Civil Service Exam
Poetry writing was included in the civil service examination because the exam was used to test if one knew culture and current literature. Including poetry meant that poetry had to have been a really big deal in China at the time. -
868
First Book published with a printed date
Diamond Sutra was the first book published in China that had a printed date. This book was written about Zen Buddhism. -
900
Tz'u
These were song lyrics usually sung by women in China as a form of entertainment, and grows as a major form of poetry as well. These were from the Warring States Period.
