Pictographs survive in a Chinese tourist town
But locals are reminded that being “civilised” requires use of standard Chinese
DURING THE “golden week” national holiday that began on October 1st, hundreds of thousands of sightseers flocked to Lijiang, a picturesque historic town in the south-western province of Yunnan. Among its attractions are the symbols printed beneath the Chinese characters on road signs and shop fronts (Starbucks included). They are Dongba pictographs, an ancient form of writing that originated among the Naxi, a local ethnic group. It was almost defunct until about a decade ago, when local officials cottoned on to its touristic value and plastered the town with the script.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Rune revival”
From the October 10th 2020 edition
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