A Study On The Evolution Of Gaochang Script Based On The Unearthed Documents In Turpan

The ancient name of Turpan is Gaochang.Since the late Qing Dynasty,a large number of burial paper documents and brick inscriptions have been unearthed in this area.In this paper,we use these unearthed documents to study the use and evolution of Chinese characters in Turpan from the third to the seventh century.The study is conducted by using literature method,sampling method and statistical method.First of all,the unearthed documents in Turpan can be divided into three periods in chronological order: Gaochang rampart(48 AC-327 BC),Gaochang county(327 BC-460 BC)and Gao Chang(460 BC-640 BC).Secondly,according to the different functions of documents,it can be divided into three categories: official documents,private documents and brick inscriptions.Thirdly,a certain number of samples are taken from the documents of each period in chronological order to analyze and count the usage and characteristics of different kinds of documents.Finally,according to the general characteristics of the evolution of the mainland calligraphy in the same period,this paper analyzes the usage and evolution of the three historical periods of Gaochang rampart,Gaochang county and Gao Chang.Through the analysis,we can draw the following conclusions:(1)From the perspective of the unearthed documents in Turpan,the use of Chinese characters in Turpan from the third to the seventh century is consistent with that in the mainland,that is,in addition to the occasional use of Xiaozhuan on the seals of some official documents,Xiaozhuan was no longer used in daily writing;(2)Since the small number of unearthed documents in Turpan in Gaochang rampart period,the study is carried out based on the wooden slips in the Western Jin Dynasty.It turns out calligraphy during this period had both regular script and official script.Official script has a strong meaning,even more than regular script.It still has the aftertaste of seal script.The characteristics of its style inherited the style of the Han bamboo slips’ and shared the similarites with that of the Central Plains at the same time.(3)The popular style of the Gaochang county period was basically the same as that of the mainland.In the early stage,the main script used in daily life was Li Kaiti,which began to be widely used in the later stage.The more Gaochang County used it in the later stage,the more it reflected the development trend of Chinese characters from Li to Kai.In addition,the pure Han Li script was rarely used in this period,and the regular script with the meaning of Wei tablet began to appear;(4)The biggest feature of the daily use of the script in Gao Chang period was the coexistence of regular script and Wei regular script,which was basically consistent with the mainland.On the one hand,it reflected the gradual maturity and growth of the regular script in this area,which had become the most important choice for Gaochang people to write Chinese characters in daily life;on the other hand,it reflected the great influence of the writing culture of Chinese characters in the South and North Dynasties on the development of the script in Gaochang area.(5)From Gaochang rampart,Gaochang county to Gao Chang,the development of Gaochang script showed a trend,that is,from Zhuan to Li,and then from Li to Kai,which reflected characteristics of Chinese character calligraphy style were consistent with the development trend of Gaochang script.This fully shows the close cultural connection between the ancient Turpan region and the mainland.All ethnic groups in Xinjiang are family members of Chinese who are connected by the blood of the Chinese nation.The culture of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are rooted in the fertile land of Chinese civilization and an integral part of Chinese culture.