China will commemorate the 120th anniversary of the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions with a series of high-profile events, starting this week, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday.

The events will include an international symposium in Anyang, Henan Province, where oracle bone inscriptions were unearthed, from Friday to Sunday, a themed two-month exhibition at the National Museum of China, starting next Tuesday, and a workshop in Beijing next Thursday, the ministry said at a press conference.

Tian Lixin, head of the department for language application and information management under the ministry, said this is the first time for China to hold national-level commemorative activities for oracle bone inscriptions since they were discovered 120 years ago.

The events are aimed at concluding the achievements in research and protection of oracle bone inscriptions and illustrating the cultural essence of the inscriptions and their important position in the history of Chinese civilization and world civilizations, Tian said.

The ministry will jointly host the events with the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and other departments.

Jiaguwen, or oracle bone inscriptions, are an ancient Chinese language named for their inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones. They are a primitive form of Chinese characters and the oldest fully-developed characters in China.

Oracle bone inscription is one of the four ancient characters in the world and the only text in ancient Chinese characters that has been passed down to the present. 

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