Insights into the Native Characteristics of Chinese Civilization from the Origins of Writing

The Yan-Huang culture, as the dual pillar system of the same origin of Chinese civilization, holds profound significance. Through an in-depth exploration of the rich modern archaeological data, particularly the inscribed symbols, it becomes evident that the Jianghai civilization of the Yangtze River basin, led by the Yan Emperor, and the inland civilization of the Yellow River basin, centered around the Yellow Emperor, as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, are two subsystems that converged to form the mature Chinese script of the Shang Dynasty oracle bone inscriptions. Among these, the Yangshao script symbols belong to the inland system, while the Sanxingdui and Dongyi script symbols are closely associated with the Jianghai system. These systems are interconnected by blood ties and have undergone a long process of integration and development, showcasing the profound origins, intricate fusion, and remarkable native characteristics of the mature ideographic Chinese script. This native characteristic stands in stark contrast to the phonetic-based ancient writing systems of West Asia and North Africa. Moreover, Chinese civilization, with its developmental trajectory of writing, also carries a long and illustrious history, shining brightly.