This study examines the variability of the Chinese script during the Warring States period. I take issue with the traditional linear model of the evolution of writing in China. According to this model, characters developed along a single... more
This study examines the variability of the Chinese script during the Warring States period. I take issue with the traditional linear model of the evolution of writing in China. According to this model, characters developed along a single line from the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions to Zhou bronze inscriptions, all the way to the Qin small seal and Han clerical scripts. My contention is that this view is not only an oversimplification but in many cases incorrect. This model mirrors the ideologically motivated unilateral genealogy of traditional historiography which traced the mandate of Heaven from mythical emperors to the ruling house.
A full copy of the book can also be found at my website at http://shahon.org
