By the end of the shang dynasty the Chinese had developed a form of writing in which each character represented

Answer 1

By the end of the Shang dynasty, the Chinese had developed a form of writing known as oracle bone script, where each character represented a specific concept or idea. This early writing system utilized logograms, meaning that each character represented a word or a meaningful part of a word rather than a sound. The characters were often used for divination purposes and recorded on animal bones or turtle shells, reflecting the Shang people's religious beliefs and practices. Over time, this script evolved into more complex forms of writing, laying the foundation for modern Chinese characters.