TheDevelopmentofBooksinChinaThenandNow-Universityof.pptVIP

The Development of Books in China: Then and Now Ping Situ situp@ University of Arizona Library April 2006 Outline Historical development of Chinese characters. Historical evolution of books in China. Introduction of paper-making and printing. Traditional publishing and e-publishing. Progress and challenges Copyright related issues in China. Historical Publishing Statistics 206 B.C. – 960 A.D. 270,000 volumes were published. 960 – 1279 124,000 volumes were published. 1260 – 1911 1,973,000 volumes were published. 1911 – 1949 About 10,000 titles were published. 1949 – 1993 Over 131,000 titles were published. 2000 – Over 100, 000 titles published every year. Chinese Words Now Part of the English Examples of common English words with Chinese roots: . Ginseng 人参 (ren shen) Oolong 乌龙 (u long) Tofu 豆腐 (dou fu) Yin-yang 阴阳 (yin yang) Typhoon 台风 (tai feng) Feng-shui 风水 (feng shui) The “Writing” of Chinese Characters Before the Invention of Paper 1600-1046 B.C. (Shang Dynasty) Letters were carved on oracle bones or bronze wares. 770-476 B.C. (Spring and Autumn Period) Silk was used only by the rich; bamboo/wood strips were used by the general public. Jiaguwen (inscriptions carved in animal bone or tortoise shells) Dated from over 3000 years ago. Are the earliest Chinese characters. Every character is like a picture. 3000 characters were discovered. Over 1000 of them can still be found in today’s vocabulary. Are invaluable resources on the social, economic and cultural development of the prehistoric period. Jinwen (Chinese characters inscribed on ancient bronze ware ) Earliest known bronze vessel inscriptions were made during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-256 B.C.) The longest text is the Maogongding which contains 497 characters. Compared to oracle bone inscriptions, Jinwen appears more organized and is simpler and less pictographic. Writing on Bamboo Slips (Began over 2,700 years ago) One written document needed to be car