Symbols depicting Chinese characters first appeared on pottery. The primitive depiction symbol only represents a rough concept of chaos and has no exact meaning.
More than 8,000 years ago, magnetic mountain culture, Fiji and Khan Lee cultures appeared in the Yellow River Basin. There are many symbols on the handmade ceramics unearthed in Fiji and Khan Lee, which are the chaotic combination of the communication function, note-taking function and pattern decoration function of the ancestors. Although these are not real Chinese characters, they are indeed the embryonic forms of Chinese characters.
Immediately after the Banpo site of Yangshao culture about 6000 years ago, some painted pottery with similar characters were unearthed. These symbols are distinguished from patterns, which promotes the development of Chinese characters. This can be said to be the origin of China characters.
Then Erlitou culture and Erligang culture. In the archaeological excavation of Erlitou culture, there are 24 kinds of marked pottery pieces, some of which are similar to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins, and all of them are single independent characters. Erligang culture was found to have a writing system. Three bones with words were found here, two with words and a cross, which seemed to be carved for practicing lettering. This has made civilization take another big step forward.
The origin of primitive characters is an imitation instinct, which is used to visualize a specific thing. Although it is simple and chaotic, it already has a certain aesthetic taste. This simple writing can therefore be called prehistoric calligraphy.