﻿458 
  ANNUAL 
  REPOKT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  as 
  the 
  Chinese 
  alwa3^s 
  regard 
  handwriting 
  as 
  an 
  art, 
  the 
  famous 
  

   handwritings 
  are 
  thus 
  preserved 
  and 
  we 
  can 
  now 
  sec 
  very 
  clearly 
  the 
  

   different 
  types 
  of 
  calligraphy 
  that 
  prevailed 
  in 
  different 
  periods. 
  

  

  Mistakes 
  or 
  misprints 
  in 
  ancient 
  books 
  can 
  be 
  corrected 
  by 
  com- 
  

   parison 
  with 
  the 
  citations 
  or 
  quotations 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  stone 
  classics 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  writings 
  of 
  different 
  dynasties 
  inscribed 
  on 
  the 
  grave 
  

   tablets 
  and 
  stone 
  tablets. 
  

  

  The 
  gaps 
  in 
  history 
  can 
  be 
  filled 
  and 
  the 
  mistakes 
  in 
  the 
  historic 
  

   works 
  corrected. 
  In 
  this 
  line 
  scholars 
  have 
  done 
  yeoman's 
  work. 
  

  

  The 
  carvings 
  of 
  ancient 
  times 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  way 
  of 
  discovering. 
  

   But 
  we 
  still 
  can 
  get 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  carvings 
  of 
  the 
  Han 
  

   dynasty. 
  These 
  stone 
  carvings 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  carving 
  

   in 
  the 
  Han 
  dynasty 
  and 
  also, 
  by 
  examining 
  the 
  things 
  that 
  are 
  

   carved 
  on 
  the 
  stones, 
  the 
  kind 
  of 
  clothes 
  and 
  furniture 
  and 
  household 
  

   utensils 
  used 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  We 
  can 
  also 
  see 
  in 
  the 
  stories 
  told 
  on 
  the 
  

   tablets 
  or 
  stones 
  the 
  ps3^chological 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  mythology. 
  

  

  Again, 
  from 
  the 
  images 
  or 
  sculptures 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  changes 
  in 
  

   Chinese 
  sculpture 
  from 
  one 
  dynasty 
  to 
  another. 
  We 
  can 
  also 
  see 
  that 
  

   the 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  sculpture 
  reflect 
  the 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  religious 
  faiths 
  

   at 
  different 
  periods. 
  

  

  From 
  some 
  stone 
  inscriptions 
  we 
  can 
  find 
  out 
  the 
  different 
  re- 
  

   ligions 
  that 
  have 
  found 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  China 
  at 
  different 
  times. 
  

   Even 
  the 
  religions 
  that 
  have 
  died 
  out 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  back 
  and 
  

   identified. 
  

  

  The 
  Nestorian 
  tablet 
  records 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  one 
  

   branch 
  of 
  Christianity 
  into 
  China 
  and 
  contains 
  inscriptions 
  in 
  Syriac. 
  

   This 
  tablet 
  is 
  really 
  unique 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  Again, 
  in 
  a 
  synagogue 
  erected 
  by 
  the 
  Pluck 
  Sinew 
  sect, 
  which, 
  by 
  

   the 
  way, 
  is 
  the 
  Chinese 
  appelation 
  for 
  the 
  Jews 
  in 
  Honan, 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  tablet 
  bearing 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  Cheng 
  Te 
  of 
  the 
  Min 
  dynasty, 
  which 
  

   proves 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  the 
  Jews 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  China. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  inscriptions 
  on 
  stones 
  which 
  mark 
  changes 
  of 
  boundaries, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  Wan 
  Tu 
  tablet, 
  Hsin 
  Lu 
  Chin 
  Hsing 
  Wang 
  tablet, 
  P'ing 
  

   Po 
  Chi 
  tablet, 
  Pei 
  Chen 
  tablet, 
  Chiang 
  Hsing-Pen 
  tablet, 
  Bilgid 
  

   Khan 
  tablet, 
  Ts'uan 
  Pao 
  Tzu 
  tablet, 
  etc. 
  From 
  these 
  inscriptions 
  we 
  

   can 
  see 
  the 
  relations 
  between 
  China 
  and 
  her 
  neighboring 
  countries. 
  

  

  The 
  Nestorian 
  tablet 
  which 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  mentioned 
  contains 
  facts 
  

   about 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  Christianity 
  into 
  China. 
  But 
  the 
  monument 
  of 
  

   Karabalgasum 
  also 
  contains 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  Manichseism 
  

   from 
  China 
  to 
  Ouigur. 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  these 
  monuments 
  throws 
  light 
  

   on 
  the 
  di]Dlomatic 
  relations 
  between 
  China 
  and 
  other 
  countries. 
  

   From 
  the 
  monument 
  of 
  Orkhon 
  and 
  the 
  monument 
  of 
  Tang 
  and 
  

   Turfan 
  which 
  contains 
  inscriptions 
  in 
  two 
  languages, 
  namely, 
  Chi- 
  

   nese 
  and 
  the 
  language 
  of 
  Ouigur, 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  cultural 
  relations 
  

   between 
  China 
  and 
  her 
  neighbors. 
  

  

  