中国印章的历史已逾3000年。经考古发现,商代晚期已有铸字铜玺。春秋战国时期,印章作为个人凭证和官署、官吏之权力而被广泛使用。发展到元末明初,作为权力象征和个人凭证的印章,已演化为惟独中国才有的特殊的艺术形式,之后便形成了所谓的明清文人印。 The history of the Chinese seal has been more than 3000 years. After archaeological discovery, Late Shang Dynasty has cast bronze Xi. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the seal was widely used as a personal voucher and official authority as well as official power. From the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty, the seal, as a symbol of power and a personal voucher, has evolved into a special art form unique to China only, and has since become the so-called literary seal of the Ming and Qing dynasties.