This luxurious silkbound hardback is an enlightening guide to Chinese characters, featuring delightful full-color illustrations and presented in a decorative slipcase . Chinese characters, or hanzi, form one of the oldest writing systems in the world. They have been widely used across a variety of East Asian languages throughout history, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. They form a core part of the cultural heritage of China, and their elegant design has spawned a tradition of calligraphy that is as much an art form as a means of communication. This beautiful, gold-embossed book includes 200 characters with an explanation of their meaning, their history and composition so that readers can learn what makes this fascinating language so unique. Accompanied by traditional Chinese illustrations in full color, this volume makes a perfect gift for anyone interested in the subject. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Silkbound Classics series brings together deluxe gift editions of literary classics, presented with luxurious silk binding, striking embossed cover designs and full-color illustrations.