Chinese symbols have become extremely popular in the west. Find out about the most popular Chinese symbols amongst the vast collection.
The popularity of Chinese symbols takes precedence over any other non-Latin script in the west today. The masses have incorporated the use of Chinese symbols in various ways ranging from body tattoos to wall hangings and screen savers to bumper stickers.
The question is what is the reason behind the popularity of Chinese symbols? How come the French and Ethiopian script is not as famous? Well, the answer is that the Chinese script stands unparalleled with regards to the aesthetic appeal that it has.
Chinese characters are beautifully constructed works of fine art. The practice of writing the Chinese script is an art form known as calligraphy and the practice dates back to more than two hundred years ago. Some of the ancient scrolls of master calligraphers that survive today are sold at auctions for a fortune.
The western perspective
Although the majority of the people in the west do not know how to read Chinese the popularity of Chinese symbols continues to soar. To the west the Chinese symbols are full of mystery and are admired for their physical structure.
The Chinese symbols that look like works of art are actually used in the existing writing system of the country. To the west however they are special because of their looks and a portion of the population even believes that they have some magical powers as well.
Basically Chinese symbols are considered to be really cool in the west nowadays. There are a lot of things about Chinese symbols that makes them cool along with their physical elegance. When you look at a Chinese symbol a lot of things like martial arts, kung fu masters and Shaolin monks come to your mind. Not to mention new age video games.
In fact these are the very channels through which the west has been exposed to much of the Chinese symbolism that it is aware of now. The influence that the mass media has had on the lives of the people living in the west is overwhelming. Seems like the Bruce Lee flicks really got the western audiences going.
The collection of Chinese symbols reaches a grand total of eighty thousand characters. There are however a number of symbols that we find to be used most frequently.
There is perhaps no Chinese symbol that stands in comparison with the Chinese dragon symbols in terms of popularity. As it is the dragon is considered to be one of the mightiest mythical creatures with great significance in oriental culture.
The illustrated image of the dragon is instantly associated with Chinese culture and for the westerners it is a new and unique creature that was never a part of their culture. The influence of martial arts movies also contributed to the popularity of the symbol of the dragon.
The symbol of the tiger is perhaps what seconds the popularity of the dragon symbols. This is also one of those symbols that are frequently featured in Chinese martial arts flicks. Other commonly used Chinese symbols include the monkey, rooster and sheep symbols.
