Drum-shaped stone blocks show evolution of Chinese characters

Updated: Aug 6, 2021 govt.chinadaily.com.cn Print

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The set of 10 drum-shaped stone blocks is one of the most precious treasures of the Palace Museum. [Photos/VCG]

The drum-shaped stone blocks, 10 in total, are reputed as the "No 1 ancient artifacts in China". The characters engraved on each block show a style transiting from the big seal script to the lesser seal script. They are living fossils of the transformation of Chinese written characters. Let’s take a look at some of them, as well as an ink rubbing of an inscription in the collection of the Palace Museum.

Rubbings from a drum-shaped stone block collected by the Palace Museum [Photo/dpm.org.cn]

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