This paper discuss the difference between two ideas of what written language can be–the Roman alphabet versus Chinese characters–and what happens when this difference is embodied in everyday devices such as computers or mobile phones in the People's Republic of China today. The article's main argument is that this highly contrasted opposition brings to light an alternative to the problem of the concept of “culture,” in the specific context of the design and use of artifacts, if we consider it as being related to a specific set of phenomena characterized by the presence of lower-level cultural elements.