The main reason     1     China’s ancient civilisation has continued all the way through into modern times has been the Chinese writing system. At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-based language, which     2    （date）back several thousand years to the use of longgu.

Symbols     3    （carve）on animals bones and shells by ancient Chinese people. Over the years, there was     4     time when the Chinese people were divided geographically,     5    （lead）to many varieties of dialects and characters. Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states     6     one unified country, making the Chinese writing system begin to develop in one direction. It was of great     7    （important）in uniting the Chinese people and culture. People in modern times can read the classic     8    （work）written by Chinese in ancient times. Nowadays, Chinese calligraphy has become an important part of Chinese culture. As China plays a greater role in     9    （globe）affairs, a large number of international students are beginning to appreciate China’s culture and history through this     10    （amaze）language.