What is Small seal script?
[[File:XiaozhuanQinquan.jpg|thumb|250px|Example of the small seal script]] '''Small seal script''', or '''xiaozhuang characters''', was the first set of [[Chinese characters]] that were made the standard all across [[China]]. Previously, each of the [[Warring States Period|Warring States]] had their own Chinese characters. People from one state did not understand the characters from another. When the [[Qin dynasty]] (221 [[BC]] to 206 BC) conquered the other states, [[Qin Shi Huang|Emperor Qin Shi Huang]] forced all [[Imperial China]] to use Qin characters and Qin [[Unit of measurement|units of measurement]]. This allowed people all across China to communicate with each other without confusion. Since the strokes used to write small seal script characters were very long, curvy, and difficult to write quickly, officials of the [[Han dynasty]] replaced small seal script with [[traditional characters]], which are still used today in China. However, since small seal characters look very artistic, they can still be seen in Chinese seals and [[calligraphy]] today. {{stub}} [[Category:Writing systems]] [[Category:Chinese characters]]