Ancient oracle bones added as UNESCO memory

Ancient oracle bone inscriptions - the earliest documentary evidence found in China - became the 13th Chinese documentary heritage inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, a senior official from the State Archives Administration said on Tuesday.

Excavated in 1899 from the Yin ruins in Anyang, Henan province, the oracle bone inscriptions are prototypes of modern-day Chinese characters and the embodiment of the continuous evolution of Chinese civilization.

They provide records of divinations and prayers to the gods from people in the late Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC).