Making their mark

The exhibition, Zheng Gu Ze Jin, addresses the significant meaning of the oracle bones to the past and present of an ancient, continually evolving civilization. Zhao Yong, the exhibition's chief curator, says, "Zheng gu literally means 'testimony to history', and it shows how the oracle bones are the well-preserved written records from the early phases of Chinese civilization, and are duly recognized as evidence of ancient Chinese culture.

"And ze jin ('benefiting today') conveys how the symbols on the oracle bones developed into the characters and words that are still being used today, and have an important influence on the values, the ways of thinking and the aesthetic ideas of modern Chinese people."

Zhao adds that the exhibition also offers archaeological and academic findings for visitors with a scholarly interest, which will add to their understanding of the oracle bone scripts and the history of the Shang Dynasty. Moreover, he says for people with little related knowledge, the exhibition paints a vivid picture of the events affecting the ruling classes of the Shang era and highlights their concerns for the future－as the royals and the wealthiest in society took part in fortune-telling rituals more often than others.

Psychics carved or painted symbols on cattle scapulas, tortoise shells or rhino bones, and seared them in fires to predict the future. This method began to decline with the rising popularity of referring to the I Ching, or Book of Changes, during the Zhou Dynasty.

The symbols that have so far been deciphered show how people asked seers a wide range of questions to help them make important decisions in their lives－from the most stately of royal issues to problems affecting ordinary people. For example, while the king asked advice on finding a safe path for hunting and on whether there would be a good harvest, a man wanted to know if his wife would give birth to a boy or a girl, or what was the best day to bring his oxen to market.