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Tangut Script

Type Object Region Northwest China Time c. 1036–1227

A square ideographic script used by the Tangut people of Western Xia, created by Yeli Renrong under Yuanhao's orders in the 1030s, used for official …

Timeline

  1. c. 1036–1038Xingqing Prefecture · Ningxia Hui Autonomous RegionYuanhao ordered Yeli Renrong to create the Tangut script, modeled on the six categories of Chinese character formation, totaling about six thousand characters; in 1038 the national script was promulgated, with separate Tangut and Chinese ritual systems established, and both Tangut and Chinese became official scripts.
  2. 1040–1050Xingqing Prefecture · Ningxia Hui Autonomous RegionWestern Xia translated legal codes such as the Tiansheng Revised and New Statutes and numerous Buddhist sutras into Tangut, establishing carving and printing bureaus; documents unearthed at Khara-Khoto and elsewhere show the script was widely used in administration, judiciary, and religion.
  3. 1051–1060Xingqing Prefecture · Ningxia Hui Autonomous RegionAfter Emperor Yizong (Liangzuo) acceded to the throne, Tangut continued to be used in diplomatic state documents, inscriptions, and school education; Tangut Buddhist texts and official seals printed during this period show the script system was fully institutionalized by the 1050s, becoming a core symbol of Western Xia national identity.

Sources