Empress Wu (684-704 A. D.), of the Tang Dynasty, invented a number of new forms for characters already in existence, amongst which
was the word for sun,
for moon,
for star, and so on. These characters were once very extensively used in ornamental writing, and even now the word
sun may be found in many of the famous stone inscriptions of that age, which have been preserved to us up to the present day. [[Pl. 2.]]
The history of the Tang Dynasty (620-906 A. D.), by Lui Hsu and others of the Tsin Dynasty, records a decree issued by Emperor Tai Tsung (763-779 A. D.) forbidding the use of the Swastika on silk fabrics manufactured for any purpose. [[Pl. 3.]]