China

“An evocative, compelling celebration of language as a carrier of culture.” —Guardian

The origins of Chinese ideographs were not known until 1899, when a scholar went to an apothecary for some medicine made of “dragon bone.” To his surprise, the bone, which had not yet been ground into powder, contained a number of carved inscriptions. Thus began the exploration of the 3000-year-old sources of the written characters still used in China today.

In this unparalleled and deeply researched book, Cecilia Lindqvist tells the story of these characters and shows how their shapes and concepts have permeated all of Chinese thought, architecture, art, and culture.

“[A] delightful cultural and linguistic history.” —Toronto Globe & Mail

“Deserve[s] special mention . . .Lavishly illustrated.” —Boston Globe

“A fascinating introduction to Chinese language and culture. Beautifully designed and illustrated with photographs, calligraphy and drawings.” —London Review of Books

“For those of us fascinated by Chinese, this offers detailed histories of many basic characters, showing their earliest forms, which often were representational, and their stylized modern versions.” —Shelf Awareness,Top Ten of the Year