China : People & Culture

» Chinese literature has a long and productive incessant history, in part because of the growth of printmaking during the Song dynasty. Prior to that time, manuscripts of the Classics and religious were manually written by ink brush and distributed. To comment on these works, printed or written, scholars formed numerous academies, many of which were sponsored by the empire, and some of the royalty continually participated in the discussions. Tens of thousands of ancient written documents are still present.


» For centuries, opportunity for social advancement in China could be provided by high performance on the imperial examinations. These tests required applicants to write essays and demonstrate mastery of the Confucian classics. Those who passed the highest level of the exam became elite scholar-officials known as jinshi, a highly revered and esteemed position.

» Chinese characters have had many variants and styles throughout the history of China , and were cut down in the mid-20th century on mainland China . Calligraphy is a major art-form in China , on a par with painting and music. Bonsai is a millennia-old art that spread to Japan and Korea .