Written in bone: China bets on ancient scripts for modern soft power

China has inaugurated an institute at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS) in Beijing, aimed at preserving rare and endangered historical disciplines to bolster its soft power and national narrative. The institute will focus on ancient ethnic minority scripts, including Tangut and Old Tibetan, as well as oracle bone inscriptions dating back over 3,000 years.

Dean Zhan Long emphasized the urgent need to safeguard these vulnerable research areas, stating that many scripts are at risk of disappearing and that some documents have been scattered globally. The institute will develop the necessary expertise to decipher these ancient scripts, a process that could take over a decade. Currently, China has approximately 500 researchers working on ancient Chinese writing, with only a small fraction of the 4,500 distinct oracle bone characters deciphered.

The institute's establishment follows a decade of efforts to support vulnerable aspects of ancient culture, particularly in light of the revival of traditional culture and China's efforts to strengthen its historical narrative to counter Western perspectives. President Xi Jinping has previously called for greater attention to marginal subjects of high cultural value in 2016.

Research into ancient scripts and texts can provide historical evidence and legal support for territorial claims and boundary demarcation, while also defending China's cultural voice against Western narratives that distort Chinese history. The institute offers an integrated bachelor's, master's, and doctoral program, along with a laboratory for digital research, encouraging students to employ digital technologies in interdisciplinary studies.