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Dancing on Paper: Characters of China

2001
Everybody knows communication depends on languages, while a language is made up of countless characters. The characters are used almost everywhere and they have been "Dancing" on people's lips, on the tip of a pencil and of course, on paper. Our site will help to introduce several kinds of characters in China ( mainly the Han Characters) through Internet and to find the way of understanding and writing these ancient and beautiful symbols. The contents are divided into four major parts: Structure - introductions about how a Chinese character was created. A lot of samples and explanations will help you to make it clearer! Evolution - developments and further analysis of the history of Chinese characters. You can feel the pulse of history by coming with us, back to over 6,000 years ago... Calligraphy - an fictitious exhibition of Chinese calligraphy. Enjoy the beauty of characters written on different materials! Other Ethnic Groups - There are many ethnic groups living in China, each with their own language and characters. Have you ever seen the characters of Tibet - the highest plateau in the world? And the colorful characters in Naxi, a fairyland in southwest China? Introductions about them are here only a few mouse clicks away! We also have Interactive activities here for you. Plenty of animating images and interactive practice are all available. You may practise writing some simple characters with your mouse right here... or have some guesses about the characters to challenge your imagination! Enjoy !