Oracle bone inscriptions, inscriptions in Chinese on animal bones or turtle shells used in divination that can be traced back to over 3,000 years ago, are under the spotlight with the National Museum of Chinese Writing launching an activity. The museum will collect results of researches to decipher the inscriptions, which will be examined by a panel of experts. The ones chosen by the panel will be awarded 100,000 yuan ($14,298) per character.

Oracle bone inscriptions, which date back to the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century B.C.), were discovered 120 years ago in the ruins of Yin (today's Kaifeng), an ancient city in central China's Henan Province. However, the characters, considered the earliest form of Chinese writing, are yet to be fully deciphered. Of the 4,500 oracle bone characters that have been discovered, less than 1,500 have their equivalent in the Han Chinese in use today and can be understood.

The prize offered by the museum shows the importance it attaches to research on oracle bone inscription. It also indicates the difficulty of decoding this form of writing.

However, we need to continue research to shed light on the history behind. Oracle bone inscription research, which is of significant cultural value, concerns cultural heritage inheritance. The good news is that the research has been strengthened by new technologies such as big data and cloud computing. Also, overseas Sinologists are showing interest and taking part in it.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in People's Daily on November 4)