The characters used in Chinese writing today can trace their roots back more than three thousand years. These are oracle bone inscriptions, the earliest known form of Chinese writing. They were first used not for literature or record-keeping, but for divination.

About 3,600 years ago, the Shang Dynasty was established along the Yellow River. Although the king ruled the people on earth, he himself was believed to stand beneath an even greater power—Shangdi, the Supreme Deity, later known as the Lord of Heaven.

This was not the gentle image of God that many people imagine today. The gods of the ancient world could send drought, bring floods, or decide the outcome of a battle. Their will was mysterious and people feared them.

Even the king was no exception.
In fact, because he was king, he needed to understand the will of the gods.

Would the rains come?
Would the crops grow?
Would the army win?
Which direction should they attack from?
When should an important ceremony be held?

Even these decisions were placed before the divine.

To seek an answer, priests carved small hollows into ox bones or turtle shells and pressed a heated rod against them. The heat caused the bone to crack, and the patterns of those cracks were interpreted as favorable or unfavorable signs.

Then something remarkable happened. The question was carved into the bone, and the answer was carved beside it. In this way, writing first took shape as a way of recording conversations between humans and the divine.

A question was offered to the gods. The answer was received in return.

When we cannot see what lies ahead, we feel uncertain. So we ask. We hope. We search for guidance. More than three thousand years have passed, yet that human instinct remains the same.