25/10/2006 – 8/8/2007

Special Exhibition Gallery ,
Hong Kong Museum of History

Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Bureau of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, People's Republic of China 

The birth of written languages marks the dawn of human civilization. The invention of Chinese script originates from the wisdom of the Chinese nation. These intriguing characters, uniquely square-block in shape, have been used to denote objects morphologically, convey meanings or functions as onomatopoeias for thousands of years. It is one of the oldest forms of written languages in the world and the only ancient language still in use today. The inscription of Chinese characters on oracle bones (tortoise shells) has left a precious legacy to world civilization and propelled the course of history. Today the incorporation of Chinese characters with computer bytes certainly take us to a brand new era.

This exhibition was jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Bureau of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, People's Republic of China. Through texts, photos, films and interactive programmes, it explored the origins, development, and contributions of Chinese script. The exhibition also introduced the art of writing Chinese scripts and examined the role of Chinese scripts in the information age.