China, empire of living symbols / Cecilia Lindqvist ; translated from the Swedish by Joan Tate ; foreword by Michael Loewe.

Translation of: Tecknens rike.
Title in Chinese: Hanzi yuanliu 漢字源流
"A Merloyd Lawrence book."
Published simultaneously by Harvill in London, with title: China, empire of the written symbol.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 411-416) and index.

Oracle bones and bronzes -- Man, mankind -- Water and mountains -- Wild animals -- Domestic animals -- Carts, roads, and boats -- Farming -- Wine and jars -- Hemp and silk -- Bamboo and trees -- Roofs and houses -- Books and musical instruments -- Numbers and other abstract characters -- Meaning and sound -- Empire of living symbols -- Character stroke count.