China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Giving a modern twist to the oracle bone script
China’s social media communicators have traveled back in time to create their latest emoji incarnations. Two new sets of emojis draw their inspiration from the Chinese oracle bone script, which dates back more than 3,000 years.
Dubbed “The Oracle Has Expressions” and “Chinese Zodiac Oracle”, the emojis use the oracle bone script to illustrate online buzzwords and internet slang. They combine the pictographic nature of the characters found on ancient “oracle” bones with color and animation.
And they’ve gone viral, generating a fresh appreciation for the ancient relics.
“The emojis infuse modern design with traditional culture and bring ancient things to life,” says an online post from “xihe99”.
“They’re the most highbrow emojis I know of, as they have profound cultural connotations,” says another internet user.
Creator Chen Nan is a doctoral supervisor at the Department of Visual Communication Design at Tsinghua University.
And he’s been studying the art of oracle bone inscriptions for almost 20 years.
The inscriptions are like a camera on the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC), scrolling through society, politics, economics, culture and other aspects of life, says Chen.
“Besides their historical value, the pictographic characters allow us to connect with our ancestors. We can feel their wisdom and humor (through the characters),” says Chen.
An interdisciplinary expert in philology and design, he wants to reveal the characters’ beauty to the public and give them a new lease of life in modern society.
Chen analyzed the charac-
art.
ters’ geometry and used modern design methods to digitize the ancient characters, and worked with the Hanyi Font Library, a font design firm.
In September 2017, the Hanyi Chen Style Oracle font was launched, becoming the world’s first oracle-character font.
The library has 3,500 characters which are free to use, allowing users to create their own content using the ancient and vivid texts.
Chen’s studio has also developed a range of other cultural and creative products based on the oracle bone script, such as drawing templates, scarves, mobile phone cases and envelopes.
And his design of “Auspicious Oracles” also appeared on a China Post New Year card.
Chen hopes these modern makeovers will make the script relevant to modern life.
Meanwhile, Chen gives special gifts to his students on their birthdays — he designs a picture created using the oracle bone script bearing the student’s name.
The Chinese oracle bone script was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in December 2017.
Traditional Chinese culture has enjoyed a revival among young people in recent years, with online apps inspired by antiquities and hit television shows on ancient relics.
“It (culture) is in the genes of the Chinese and we need to keep it alive and pass it on,” says Chen.