Originated in ancient China, it is the oldest and most representative printmaking family.

Woodblock printing, commonly known as woodcut, originated in ancient China. The illustrations in woodcut printed books are the oldest and most representative in the woodcut family. It not only has a long history and a large number, but also has various forms. Woodcutting is a kind of printmaking art that carves a negative image on a wooden board and then prints it on paper for appreciation. Ancient prints were mainly woodcut, but there were also a few copperplate prints and color misreading. The unique taste of knife wood makes it have independent artistic value and position in the history of China culture and art. Before the rise of modern printing, it was the only form of artistic communication that could be printed by block printing and copied in large quantities.

Plate-making technology has a long history in China. Characters and patterns carved on cultural relics unearthed in the Neolithic Age (such as Oracle Bone Inscriptions, pottery, jade and bronze), and stone reliefs, brick reliefs and stone tablets in the Qin and Han Dynasties are all carved on various materials with sharp tools. Seal cutting, with a long history, is almost the same as plate making and carving.