Although traditional written Chinese seemed complicated and inconvenient, it actually became one of the first shorthands in history, where it was used to note down on-the-spot conversations and legal proceedings.
It is recorded that Abu Bakr al-Razi became severely impressed with a Chinese student, who could very easily and very swiftly write down and transcribe the works of Galen.
[Jacques Gernet, a history of Chinese Civilisation, pp.34]