History of ancient printing in China

The development history of ancient printing in China is a process from movable type printing to block printing.

1, movable type printing

During the period from the first year of Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty to eight years, namely1041-kloc-0/048, an ordinary laborer named Bi Sheng invented movable type printing. Movable type printing is one of the greatest inventions in human history, and it is also China's great contribution to world culture.

2. Woodblock printing

Engraving printing was invented in the Tang Dynasty and was widely used in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. 1900, a beautifully printed Diamond Sutra was found in the Thousand Buddha Cave in Dunhuang, with the words "April 15th, 9th year of Xian Tong (AD 868)" at the end. This is the earliest printed matter with a definite date in the world.

The spread of printing

China is the place where printing was invented. Printing technology in many countries was either imported from China or developed under the influence of China. Japan is the first country to develop printing technology after China. In the 8th century, Japan could print Buddhist scriptures by block printing.

North Korea's woodblock printing technology was also introduced from China, and began to print Confucian classics in Mu Zong (998~ 1009). Around the 4th century A.D./KLOC-0, China's woodblock printing technology spread to Persia through Central Asia, and then from Persia to Egypt.

Persia actually became a transit point for China's printing technology to spread to the west. Until the end of 14, wooden cards, icons and Latin textbooks for European students appeared. About the 4th century A.D./KLOC-,China's wooden movable type technology was introduced to Korea and Japan.

/kloc-around 0/450, influenced by Chinese movable type printing, Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany, made pinyin movable type with alloy for printing books.

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Print.