The secret behind how Chinese characters work

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Gina Elia |

TED-Ed

• June 2024

According to legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China charged his historian, Cangjie, to develop a system of writing. Sitting alongside a riverbank, Cangjie noted the imagery that surrounded him. From this, he created the first Chinese characters. So, how has Chinese evolved in the last 3,000 years? Gina Marie Elia explores the history of one of the earliest written languages. [Directed by PeiHsin Cho, narrated by Pen-Pen Chen, music by Zing Audio].