“Glory of Chinese Print” Exhibition

“中华印刷之光”展览

Date: October 20 to October 28, 2006

Location: Asian Fusion Gallery at New York, 15 E 40th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016

主办单位：中国印刷博物馆
协办单位：上海当纳利印刷有限公司、美国亚洲文化中心、中华文化基金会、大纽约地区中文教师联谊会

Sponsored by the China Printing Museum
Co-sponsors:
Shanghai Donnelley Printing CO. Ltd.
Asian Cultural Center
Chinese Culture Foundation
Chinese Language Teachers Association of Greater New York

The “Glory of Chinese Print” exhibition will officially open on Oct. 20th, 2006 at Asian Cultural Center, and will last for eight days until the 28th of Oct. This is the first time the Chinese Printing Museum is conducting such grand event in the United States.

The art of printing is one of the four greatest inventions of ancient China. With its birth, development, and the eventual distribution across the world, the pace of humanity advanced tremendously, increased the spread of knowledge and information.

“Glory of Chinese Print” exhibition presents the historical background of the development process, including Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qin Dynasty printing style and the more recent 20th century printing. Inform the public on topics such as Chinese Character, Earlier Printed Material, Sculpture Technique, Material & Tools, and the Birth of Printing along with its development history. From all the exhibition materials, it is evident that China not only invented printing and sculpturing techniques, but also used wooden print and metal print at a very early age as well. Other presentation includes Classic Printing Method showcase, seminars, etc. All materials will be available in both Chinese and English, ought to be a very valuable experience for all.

We welcome all additional exhibitions and presentations; also encourage various universities and secondary schools to contact us for more information on group discounts and time arrangement

Asian Cultural Center Address: 15 E 40th Street, New York, NY 10016
Phone number: 212 – 679 – 8833 ext: 117, 119, 120

大型“中华印刷之光”展览将于10月20日起在纽约亚洲文化中心隆重开展。展期至10月28日。 这是中国印刷博物馆首次在美国举办的大型印刷展。

印刷术是中国古代四大发明之一。它的发明、发展和向世界的传播，对人类文明和社会进步，做出了巨大的贡献。

“中华印刷之光”展，向参观者介绍了从中国古代宋、元、明、清时代起，一直到20世纪20年代，中国的文字、早期印刷文物、雕刻技术、物料和工具及印刷发明等印刷技术发展历程，也以此证明，中国不但发明了雕版印刷术、泥活字，而且在使用木活字、金属活字等方面都是世界最早的。展览现场还有古代印刷技术的演示，讲座等，全部内容都有中英文介绍。非常有观展价值。

主办方欢迎民众前来观展，更希望大学、中小学与我们联系，安排集体参观时间。

亚洲文化中心地址：15 E 40th Street, New York, NY 10016

电话：212-679-8833 转117、119、120

相关新闻：

“中华印刷之光”展览在纽约亚洲文化中心开展 2006年10月21日 10:03

　　中新网纽约10月20日电 (邓悦)由中国印刷博物馆主办，美国亚洲文化中心、中华文化基金会等协办的“中华印刷之光”展于二十日晚在纽约曼哈顿亚洲文化中心开展。这是中国首次在美国举行印刷史专题展览。
　　为期十天的展览主要通过中国印刷博物馆的部分馆藏真品和文字图片向美国大众特别是青少年一代，介绍中国印刷术的起源和发展历程，加深对中国印刷文化的认识和了解，进一步增进中美两国印刷业等交流与合作。

　　展览主要包括一百多件展品实物，印刷术发明前的人类文字载体形式，中国传统笔墨纸砚，中国历代有代表性的印刷品以及印版、活字、工具等。展览期间还将举行多场传统木版水印操作表演及英文讲解，“中国印刷术的发明与发展”等专题讲座，以及中美印刷出版业的学术技术交流等多项活动。

　　中国出版研究所所长、中国印刷博物馆馆长郝振省在开幕式上致词说，希望通过此次中国古代印刷史和现代印刷史的浓缩展示使美国人民进一步了解中国博大精深的印刷文化，促进两国人民的文化交流。
　　中国国家新闻出版总署印刷复制管理司司长王岩镔在贺词中感谢促成此次展览的中国机构、同行以及热心友人，并预祝展览圆满成功。

The Glory of Chinese Printing
Printing is one of the four major inventions of ancient China. Its invention development and dissemination to other parts of the world contributed significantly to human civilization and social progress．
The invention of printing resulted from the development and accumulation of culture, techniques， materials and tools over a long period of time. It is believed that there are four prerequisites for the invention of printing. Firstly, the existence of fixed and standardized written words．This prerequisite would not have been met in the absence of widespread use of written words．Secondly，there should be considerable experience in character-carving techniques which are the basic techniques for woodblock carving．Thirdly, there should be materials and tools for printing，namely the writing brush，ink and paper．Fourthly, there should be social needs．When a society has developed to a certain level，the demand for the reproduction of words and drawings increases enormously, thus giving rise to printing as traditional ways of copying books by hand failed to meet demand．

Writing System
The writing system of China went through a long process of development．As early as the New Stone Age，symbols recording events appeared on painted pottery．According to experts，these were probably the prototypes of Chinese characters．More than four thousand single characters have been found in oracle bone inscriptions of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries BC. They could be used to record complicated events and are believed to be mature Chinese characters．Bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty were a significant advancement and became known as great-seal scripts．During the reign of the First Emperor of Qin，efforts to unify and simplify the great-seal scripts led to the formation of a new script known as the small-seal script．The clerical script that was popular in the Han Dynasty was the result of another large-scale reform in Chinese characters．Parallel to the use of clerical script was a simpler form of script，the running script，which was invented to make writing more convenient．Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the regular script emerged，and this completed the development of the various scripts of Chinese characters．After the invention of printing，the regular script became the major typeface for woodblock printing．

Carving Skills
The techniques of character-carving are basic skills indispensable for the invention of printing．Carving techniques have also gone through a long period of development．On the painted pottery of the New Stone Age were some carved signs．The inscriptions on the bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties were mostly made by casting．They were carved on a clay mould which was made before casting the bronze．Stone inscriptions were originated from the engraving of signs on cliffs．In the chapter entitled“The Will of Heaven”in Mozi，it is said that“records of fatal service were written on bamboo and silk，engraved on metal and stone，inscribed on basins and bowls for transmission to posterity so that later generations would know about them．’’It can be seen that using stone inscriptions to keep records of important events has a long history in China．The earliest stone inscriptions existing today are the Drum-shaped Stone Inscriptions of the Qin State (577-537 BC)．
The most famous stone inscriptions in history are those of the Xiping Stone Classics．The carving was begun in the fourth year of the Xiping period of Emperor Hanling of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 175)and was completed in the sixth year of the Guanghe period (AD 183), totaling more than 200,000 characters．When the Xiping Stone Classics were completed，the stone was erected at the main entrance of the Imperial College in the capital，Luoyang，for the public to read，copy，and to compare with other texts．The stones served as a means of cultural transmission．The event also indicates that character-engraving skills were extremely refined．
The earliest reverse-character carving was used in seals which emerged in the Shang Dynasty．Seals were used mainly in clay-sealing and ornaments and were a symbol of power and authority．With the emergence of paper，they were used mainly for stamps．Seals were very close to printing as far as the techniques are concerned．On stone tablet inscriptions of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581) were some reverse relief characters along with regular ones，indicating that these techniques were already highly developed．

Materials and Tools
Paper, writing brushes and ink were the major materials and tools needed for printing．The use of ink and writing brushes began around the Shang Dynasty．During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods，the quality of brushes and ink greatly improved．From the brushes unearthed from a tomb of the Warring States Period in Zuojiagong Hill，Changsha，we can see that the appearance and manufacturing technology of brushes were already very advanced．
The invention and wide application of paper provided a high quality，convenient and inexpensive medium for books．Paper also became an indispensable material for printing．Unearthed objects prove that as early as the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty，paper was already in use，and in the literature of the period the use of paper is mentioned．During the reign of Emperor Hedi of the Eastern Han Dynasty，Cai Lun improved on the paper making techniques and extended the range of raw materials for producing good quality paper．From then on，the amount of paper used gradually increased．By the fourth century，paper had replaced bamboo slips and became the major material for writing．Books entered into the era of paper．From the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316) to the Sui Dynasty (581-618)，as the volume of paper books increased，their prices fell，leading to the more rapid dissemination of culture．In turn，the social and cultural progress provided the ideal social conditions for the invention of printing．With the various conditions for the invention of printing in place，all that was needed was strong demand for a large quantity and fast reproduction of books．

Invention of Printing
The exact year in which woodblock printing was invented is still very much debated in academic circles．Nevertheless，judging from the pace of social and cultural developments and relevant documentary evidence，we can draw a rough outline．As the Ming scholar Hu Yinglin puts it in his Notes from Shaoshishan Studio：“Woodblocks were first used in the Sui Dynasty and became popular in Tang Dynasty．”As to woodblock printing in the Tang Dynasty (618-907)，plenty of documentary records and printing artefacts have survived to the present．In a History of the Tang and Song Dynasties，Including Liao，Jin and Western Xia by Shao Jingbang of the Ming Dynasty，for example，it is recorded that“The wife of Tang Dynasty Emperor Taizong，nee Zhangsun，was a native of Luoyang…．She passed away at the age of thirty-six and the emperor was deeply sorrowful．Palace officials later submitted to the emperor her ten essays on Paradigm of Womanhood…． When the emperor read them，he praised her and believed that the book could set a good example for posterity, so he ordered that the essays be printed．” This is the earliest record of the printing．The incident took place in the tenth year of the period Zhenguan (636).
Feng Zhi of late Tang said in his Notes Yunxian that“Xuan Zang used huifeng paper to print Portraits of the Various Saints and distributed them free to the public．Each year，five packs were distributed and none remained．”Xuan Zang undertook this printing work after he returned to China with Buddhist scriptures in the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan period (645)．Given the large amount of Buddhist promotional materials，printing was the most appropriate method of reproduction．

Relics of Early Prints
Actual examples of early printed materials which have survived to the present are extremely rare．The extant earliest print is Sutra in Sanskrit. That was Printed in the 7th century, unearthed from the Tang Tombs in xi'an. The early publications discovered to date are Volume 5 of the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra Etc. These printed sutra were discovered in Turpan in Xinjiang，China in 1906 and is now in Japan．According to the study of some scholars，this printed sutra dates from the period of Wu-Zhou (690-705)．In 1966，a Wu-Zhou woodblock-carved publication entitled Dharani Sutra，was found in the Sokka Pagoda at Pulguk-sa Monastery in Kyongju Korea．According to several scholars in China，this sutra was printed in the late Wu-Zhou period (circa 701-702) in Luoyang，China and later found its way to Xin Luo (ancient Korea)．Other woodblock-carved publications from the Tang Dynasty that are extant today include such works as Mantras of the Dharani Sutra，carved by the Bian family around the second year of the Zhide period（757) and unearthed in a Tang-period tomb at the Dragon Pool Square in Chengdu，and the Diamond Sutra carved by Wang Jie in the ninth year of the Xiantong period (868)．Many almanacs of those days survived to today．The above documentary records and artefacts prove that woodblock carving was a great invention in ancient China and that the statement that “printing began in the Sui Dynasty and became popular in the Tang Dynasty” is a credible one．
In the latter part of the Tang Dynasty，printing reached its first high tide since its invention．Apart from the Buddhists who actively used printing，the Taoists also began to print books．The production centres of printing also spread from the capital city of Chang’an and Luoyang (the eastern capital) to places such as Sichuan, Jiangxi, Huainan and Dunhuang．Private printing houses also began to prosper．At that time，in the areas of Sichuan and Huainan，private printers published a large number of almanacs that were sold in the market，but then the government passed a law prohibiting people from printing the almanacs．
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period，despite the disunity caused by rival principalities and the chaotic situation created by the frequent changes of dynasties，the scope of printing kept expanding. But the feature which best represented the development of printing in this period was that the government began to coordinate the mass printing of a collection of Confucian classics，known as The Nine Classics． The person who initiated this organized effort to print the classics was Feng Dao，who served as prime minister for several short-lived dynasties. During the Five Dynasties period，another person who organized the printing of a considerable number of books was Wu Zhaoyi，the Prime Minister of the state of Shu．He personally bore the cost of hiring people to print A General Anthology of Prose and Verse，A Primer for Learning and Bai’s Six Models of Calligraphy．He also sought the approval of Meng Chang，the King of Shu，and organized the printing of The Nine Classics and historical writings．

Song Dynasty(960-1279)
The printing industry thrived during the Song Dynasty．Government departments from the central to the local level engaged in printing activities．The private printing industry expanded，leading to the existence of printing houses throughout the country，and the creation of a few areas of concentration such as at Jianyang, Hangzhou， Meishan，Kaifeng, Pingyang, Yanjing and Xingqing．All types of texts were printed including Confucian classics，history，philosophy and belles-1ettres．The scale of Buddhist publications was considerably larger and collections of Buddhist scriptures were printed several times．Apart from the printing of books，new items appeared，including the printing of paper money and trademark advertisements．
Techniques of woodblock printing in the Song Dynasty reached a high level of achievement．Throughout the following dynasties，printing plate specialists recognized the fine quality of the plates，the high grade paper，and the richness of the colour found in Song printing plates．As regards the craft of bookbinding，the butterfly style was widely used，which in turn gave rise to the rectangular format of binding found in painting and calligraphy albums．
An important revolution of printing technology of the Song Dynasty was the invention of movable-type printing．According to Shen Kuo’s Dream Pool Jottings，a commoner by the name of Bi Sheng used movable-type blocks for printing during the Qingli years (1041-1048) of the Northern Song．This invention ushered in an era of movable-type printing and is a significant milestone in the history of printing．
Contemporary with the Song Dynasties were the regimes of ethnic minorities such as the Liao，Western Xia and Jin．The level of printing in these areas was on a par with that of Central and Southern China．In some respects，breakthroughs were also made．In 1974，a batch of publications of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125) was found in a wooden pagoda in Ying County，Shanxi Province．Apart from the famous Qidan Tripitaka，there were other books and，judging from the quality of printing，a very high level was attained．Among them were a few hand-coloured Buddha images．The colour was painted by hand after the black and white outlines had been printed．This is the elegant colour application technique for printing on paper．Printing in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) also flourished，with the most famous printing industry found in Pingyang．At that time，several dozen printing houses concentrated in this city，and artisans were also employed by temples to engrave blocks for printing Buddhist scriptures．Publications produced in Pingyang included classics，history，philosophy，belle-lettres as well as other topics，but Pingyang became famous for its medical texts． Following the Liao Tripitaka of the Northern Region，the Jin Tripitaka was another large-scale collection of Buddhist books printed in Pingyang．
Western Xia，whose captial was located in Xingqing (present-day Yinchuan , Ningxia)，was established by the Dangxiang tribe．In 1991，a nine-volume Buddhist scripture entitled Propitiousness Has Spread to Everywhere，which was written in Western Xia characters and bound in butterfly format，was found in a square pagoda at Baishigou in Helan County，Ningxia Autonomous Region．Archaeologists and experts have determined that these volumes were printed in the latter part of the Western Xia (second half of the 12th century) using wooden movable type．This scripture has been taken to be the earliest extant example of wooden movable-type printing and it occupies an important position in the history of Chinese printing．

Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368)
With the founding of the Yuan Dynasty，China was again reunified，and great strides were made in printing．In the north，major printing areas centred around Pingyang and Dadu；while in the south，Hangzhou and Jianyang remained the important centres．There were also a number of printing houses scattered across the areas of present-day Suzhou，Jiangxi，Hunan and Hubei．Owing to the national unity，favourable conditions existed for the spread of printing to remote areas．Areas such as present-day Tibet and Xinjiang also had sizeable printing industries．
In the Yuan Dynasty，printing in academies was extremely active．Most famous of all was the West Lake Academy，which，in addition to storing the woodblocks of the National Academy of the Southern Song，also collected a large number of printing plates and published a huge volume of books．Another characteristic of academy printing was that several of them joined forces and divided the labour in the printing of voluminous works．This allowed shorter time to complete the printing of the entire work．During the Dade period，for example，nine routes of Confucian scholars divided work among themselves and carved and printed The Seventeen Dynastic Histories thereby taking a little more than two years to complete this enormous task．
Great progress was made in printing techniques during the Yuan Dynasty．Some of the major improvements were：Firstly，in bookbinding，following the butterfly binding，there emerged the wrapped-ridge binding，which pushed bookbinding a step further．Secondly，while two-colour printing originated in the Song Dynasty there are only documentary records and no actual examples of this．But in the first year of the Zhizheng period (1341) of the Yuan Dynasty，the Commentaries on the Diamond Sutra was carved by the Zifu Temple in the Zhongxing Route，and was printed in red and black．Thirdly，book jackets with illustrations appeared in the Yuan Dynasty．

Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) is the most glorious period in the history of printing in China．The main indications of this include: Firstly, all the inventions of previous dynasties-woodblock carving, wooden movable type, metal movable type, whole metal plates, and techniques of multi-colour printing-were used in the Ming Dynasty, and moreover, the technical skills became exquisite．Secondly, paper, ink and woodblock carving techniques attained an unprecedented standard．Thirdly, the scope, variety and volume of printing reached the highest level in history．Besides printing traditional books, such as the classics, history, philosophy and belle-lettres, in large quantities, the gazetteers, books on science and technology, books on craftsmanship, popular readers, printing, plays, and novels were also printed in great number．Fourthly, the type of characters used specially for printing-the Song typeface-became more refined and was widely used．Fifthly, with the invention of woodblock colour printing, the craft of printing was perfected．
The largest printing house operated by the Ming court was the factory run by the Directorate of Ceremonies．Construction of the factory began in the nineteenth year of the Yongle period (1421)，and by the Jiajing period，it had more than one thousand artisans working on woodblocks，printing，binding，ink-making and brush-making．It was the largest printing factory in Chinese history．Many government publications were put out by the factory．The Imperial Observatory also had a printing house whose main duty was to print the annual sample almanac．The National Academy was also the government’s major book-printing unit．
The scale of religious printing in the Ming Dynasty was very large．The most famous works included The Chinese Tripitaka printed in Nanjing during the early Ming，The Chinese Tripitaka printed in Beijing during the Yongle years，and The Tibetan Tripitaka，printed during the Wanli years．The size of each of the above exceeded six thousand volumes．
Printing by Provincial Commanders’ Offices was a phenomenon characteristic of the Ming Dynasty．As most of these commanders did not have any real administrative responsibilities and as they were wealthy，it became a fashion for them to engage in writing and printing．According to some incomplete statistics，the provincial commanders printed more than five hundred books．Some of these were books on chess，music and tea，adding variety to the books printed．The publication of local gazetteers originated in the Song Dynasty，and became a fashion in the Ming．Districts and prefectures all printed their own gazetteers．Thanks to the publication of these books，a large amount of valuable historical material has been passed on．
A breakthrough that came during the Ming Dynasty was the creation of woodblock colour printing．It used the techniques of colour separation delineation，colour separation block engraving，and trapping to produce reproductions of colour paintings that closely resemble the originals．In the latter part of the Ming Dynasty，Hu Zhengyan，a painter, collaborated with the Hui School carvers and used the watercolour block printing method to produce four volumes of Painting Manual of the Ten-bamboo Studio，followed by Letter-paper Designs of the Ten-bamboo Studio．This was the first use of the blind stamping technique，a kind of colourless dye stamping．Bookbinding in the Ming changed from Wrapped-ridge binding to thread binding，which was a great improvement．

Qing Dynasty(1644-1911)
Printing in ancient China reached yet another peak during the Qing Dynasty．First of all，the scale of printing production greatly expanded not only in the capital but also in regional centres of China．Networks of private printers and workshops were developed．Present-day studies on bibliography and on the history of books and publication have established that the Qing Dynasty indeed surpassed all previous Chinese dynasties in terms of the quantity and variety of publications．
Another advance made during the Qing Dynasty was in the development of printing technology．All printing techniques known then continued to be in use and new ones were devised．Special mention must be made about movable type．The proportion of publications utilising movable type rose steadily．Wood，bronze or clay movable type attained very high standards in quality. Woodblock colour printing became ever more popular and its quality kept improving．Lunar New Year posters were a new commercial product that became popular．They gave rise to a big business，with millions of households being adorned by them，making the penetration of printing in society deeper than any dynasty before Qing．In this sense then，application of traditional technology of printing reached a pinnacle during the Qing Dynasty．
The official editing and printing organization of the Qing (1644-1911) government was located in the Hall of Military Eminence．During the Shunzhi years of the Qing Dynasty，the government relied mainly on the technical strength passed on from the official printing houses of the Ming Dynasty where lithographic printing was standard．In the latter part of the reign of Kangxi，bronze movable type was used．By the Yongzheng years，the typesetting and printing of the Imperial Encyclopaedia was completed．During the Qianlong years，the Hall of Military Eminence，under Jin Jian’s management，engraved two sets of 250,000 jujube wooden movable types，one small and the other big，which were used in the printing of A Collection of Rare Editions of the Hall of Military Eminence．Printing Manual for the Collection of Rare Editions of the Hall of Military Eminence，an invaluable monograph on ancient printing techniques edited by Jin Jian，comprehensively introduced the craft and techniques of wooden type printing at the Hall of Military Eminence．
Printing workshops in local governments and organizations during the Qing were known as“bookstores or book bureaus．” The Yangzhou Poetry Bureau set up by Cao Yin，the Liang-Huai Salt Administrator in the Kangxi years，was the first bookstore to print the famous collection The Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty．During the Yongzheng years，governors of the various provinces also set up their printing offices．
An important development in printing during the Qing Dynasty is the popularization of “private blockprints” of poems and essays written by feudal lords and literati of the day．As they did not print the books for profit，they commissioned private printers to issue them with fine paper and ink．The layout and the craftsmanship of the woodblocks were exquisite and elegant．Only a few of these rare books can be found today．The well-known titles are the Zecun Hall Series is sued by the Zhang Family on philology (five series)，works written by Lin Jisi，and those books by the Shili Residence of the Huang Family and by the Guyun Lodge of the Xu Family．
The most outstanding publication of the Qing private printing was the New Year pictures．The woodblock colour printing method created during the Ming Dynasty was used for the mass production of New Year pictures．They were distributed to thousands of households and sold in great quantities, thus leading to the development of a New Year picture industry．The famous presses included Yangliuqing in Tianjin，Yangjiabu in Weifang, and Taohuawu in Suzhou．Printshops of New Year pictures also concentrated in places such as Zhuxianzhen in Henan Fengxiang in shanxi，Mianzhu in Sichuan，Linfen in Shanxi and Foshan in Guangdong．The motifs of these pictures were mostly what common people liked to see and hear, such as stories from plays，door-gods，crickets(symbol of kitchen gods)，beautiful ladies and content symbolizing such things as good luck and bumper harvests．It was not until the 1920s，with the rise of modern offset printing techniques，that hand-made woodblock printing of New Year pictures was gradually replaced by the new methods．

Summary
The above introduction provides us with a general picture of the development of printing techniques in ancient China．The facts and artefacts prove not only that China invented woodblock printing and clay movable type，but also that China was the first country in the world to use wooden movable type and metal movable type. The use of two-colour printing began in the Song Dynasty (960-1279)．By the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)，it was used to print books，and it further developed into three-colour and four-colour printing The colour printing invented in the Ming Dynasty was the first in the world．The results produced could almost match the original and the printed products showed gradual levels．With regard to the printing materials，China contributed to the use of ink in printing apart from the use of woodblocks．The fact that bronze plates were used since the Song Dynasty indicates that technical problems associated with printing ink suitable for metal p1ates had been solved by then．The above shows that in the history of printing，the inventions in China were multi-faceted and were perfected gradually．These inventions have contributed enormously to human civilization and social progress．
　

Illustration
1) Symbols (late New Stone Age).
2) A diagram of the origin and development of Chinese characters
3) Inscriptions on oracle bones, earliest Chinese characters.
4) Xiping Stone Scriptures (Eastern Han Dynasty, AD 175, clerical script).
5) Writing brush of the Warring States Period.
6) Paper with map drawn on it (Western Han Dynasty).
7) Seal from the Western Han Dynasty.
8) Stencil-printed, hand-painted gauze (unearthed from the Mawangdui tomb, Western Han Dynasty).
9) Hong Jian Record
10) Mantras of the Dharani Sutra, in Sanskrit, was unearthed in the suburban district of Xi’an. It’s the earliest extant printing relic.
11) An almanac carved in 877.
12) An almanac engraved and printed by the Fan Shang family of Chengdu in 882.
13) Diamond Sutra of 868 (discovered in Dunhuang).
14) A portrait of the Goddess of Mercy (Five dynasties in the Guasha Region).
15) A portrait of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Supreme Wisdom (Five dynasties in the Guasha Region).
16) Commentaries on the Book of Rites, and officially printed copy in the Song Dynasty.
17) A collection of Poems by Madam Yu Xuan Ji (engraved and printed by the Chen family in Hangzhou, Southern Song Dynasty).
18) Four Beauties (engraved by the Ji family in Pingyang, Jin Dynasty).
19) The Sequel of All Happiness. Printed with movable-type in the Western Xia characters in the latter part of the 12th century.
20) The Nine Luminaries of the Buddha of Brilliant Light, a Liao Buddha portrait which was block-printed in black and coloured by hand.
21) A statue of Bi Sheng in the Printing Museum of China.
22) Wood movable-type in Uighur script.
23) A copperplate trademark of the Liu Family needle shop in Ji’nan, Song Dynasty.
24) Exchange media, the earliest paper currency printed in Sichuan in the Northern Song.
25) Annotations to the Diamond Sutra (duo-tone, Yuan Dynasty).
26) A replica of the revolving typesetting plate in the Printing Museum of China.
27) Memorials of the Song Ministers (Printed in bronze movable-type by Huasui).
28) Painting Manual of the Ten-bamboo Studio, printed with watercolour blocks by Hu Zhengyan of the Ming Dynasty.
29) Spring festival pictures printed with colour wookblocks in the Qing Dynasty.
30) The Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty, engraved and printed by Yangzhou Poetry Bureau in the forty-sixth year of the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1707).
31) A replica of the Hall of Military Eminence in the Printing Museum of China.
32) The Notice to Reassure the Public, printed in the first year of the Shunzhi period (1644). The largest block carved print in ancient China.
　

中华印刷之光

印刷术是中国古代四大发明之一。它的发明、发展和向世界的传播，对人类文明和社会进步，做出了巨大的贡献。印刷术的发明，是文化、技艺、物料和工具长期发展和积累的结果。一般认为，发明印刷术必须具备四个方面的条件：一、必须有成熟、定型、规范的文字，文字是印刷的主要对象。二、必须有熟练的文字雕刻技艺，这是雕刻印版的基础技艺。三、必须有笔墨和纸张等印刷必备的工具和物质材料。四、必须有社会的需要。当社会文化发展到一定水平时，需要大量文字、图像的复制品，传统的用手抄写书籍方式，已不能满足社会的需要，作为图文复制的印刷术就应运而生。

文字
中国汉字经历了长期的发展演变过程，早在新石器时代的彩陶上，就出现一些记事符号，一些专家认为这就是汉字的原始形态。公元前13—14世纪的商代甲骨文，已有四千多个单字，可以用来记述复杂的事件，被认为是成熟的汉字。西周时期的青铜器铭文，比甲骨文又向前发展一步，称为大篆。秦始皇时，在简化大篆统一文字的基础上，发布了一种新字体，即小篆。汉代通行隶书，是汉字书体的一次较大改革。在使用隶书的同时，为了书写方便，人们又创造了一种更简便的书体—章草。东汉末期，出现楷书，从而完成了汉字书体的发展和演变。印刷术发明后的很长一段时期，楷书成为雕版印刷的主要字体。
1) 新石器时代晚期陶器上的记事符号
2) 汉字起源演变图
3) 最早的成熟汉字甲骨文

雕刻技术
文字的雕刻技艺，是发明印刷术不可缺少的基础技术，这种技术也经历了长期发展过程。新石器时代的陶器上，就有雕刻的符号。商周时期的青铜器铭文，大多为铸造，在浇铸之前要制造泥范，而泥范文字也是雕刻而成的。
石刻文字起源于岩壁符号的雕刻。《墨子•天志》中说：“书其事于竹帛，镂之金石，琢之盘盂，传遗后世子孙…”可见以石刻来记载重大事件，早已有之。现存最早的石刻文字是《石鼓文》，为公元前577—537年秦国之物。历史上最著名的文字石刻当属东汉的《熹平石经》，它开雕于汉灵帝熹平四年(175年)，完成于光和六年(183年)，计20余万字。《熹平石经》刻成之后，立于洛阳太学门前，供人们阅读、传抄和校刊，是一种传播文化的手段。它也说明，文字雕刻技术至此已十分成熟。
最早的反向文字的雕刻是印章，它出现于商代。早期的印章主要用于封泥，佩饰物及权力的象征。纸张出现后，才主要用于着色钤印，其工艺已十分近似于印刷。在南北朝时期的碑刻上，出现了反向文字和阳凸文字，这说明，印刷所需要的文字雕刻技术已经成熟。
4) 熹平石经（东汉，175年，隶书）

物料和工具
纸张、笔、墨等是印刷的主要物料和工具。墨和笔的使用，约起源于商代。春秋战国间，笔墨的质量大为提高，长沙左家公山战国墓出土的毛笔，其外形和制作工艺已十分先进。
纸张的发明和推广应用，为书籍提供了优质、轻便、廉价的载体，同时纸张也是印刷术不可缺少的承印材料。出土实物证明，早在西汉初年，就开始使用纸，西汉时期的文献上也有用纸的记载。东汉和帝时，蔡伦改良了造纸工艺，扩大造纸原材料的范围，造出了优质纸张。从此，纸张的使用量逐渐增大。到公元4世纪，纸张已经代替了简策，成为书写的主要材料，书籍进入了纸写本的时代。西晋至隋代，纸写本大量使用，使书籍的造价更低，从而加快了文化传播的速度，促进了社会、文化的进步，为印刷术的发明，提供了良好的社会条件。至此发明印刷术的各种条件都已具备，只要社会对批量、快速复制书籍有强烈的需求，印刷术就会诞生。
5) 战国毛笔
6) 画有地图的西汉纸
7) 西汉印章

印刷发明
雕版印刷术发明的具体年代，学术界还没有统一的看法。但是，根据社会文化发展的进程，以及有关的文献记载，我们大体可以勾勒出一个轮廓，即明代胡应麟在《少室山房笔丛》中所说的：“雕本肇于隋时，行于唐世”。关于唐代的雕版印刷，不但有多处文献记载，而且有多种印刷实物流传至今。例如，明代人邵经邦的《弘简录》一书中有，“太宗后长孙氏，洛阳人，……遂崩，年三十六，上为之恸。及宫司上其所撰《女则》十篇。……帝览而嘉叹，以后此书足垂后代，令梓行之。”这是使用印刷术的最早记载之一。此事发生在贞观十年(636年)。唐末冯贽《云仙散录》中说：玄奘“以回锋纸印普贤像，施于四众，每岁五驮无余。”由此可见玄奘于贞观十九年(645年)取经回国后的印刷活动。佛教宣传品用量很大，最适宜采用印刷的方法来进行复制。
8) 金银火焰印花纱（马王堆汉墓出土）
9) 《弘简录》

早期印刷文物
关于早期的印刷品实物，流传至今者十分稀少。1974年西安郊区出土7世纪初印品《梵文陀罗尼经》为现存最早的印刷品实物。1906年中国新疆吐鲁番发现《妙法莲华经》卷五等印品现藏于日本，据有关学者考证，为武周时期之印刷品。1966年于韩国庆州佛国寺释迦塔内发现一件雕版印刷品《无垢净光大陀罗尼经》。据我国学者多人考证，此经为武周末年(701一702年)于中国洛阳刻印，随后传至新罗。唐代的雕版印刷品流传至今的还有：成都唐墓出土的成都府成都县龙池坊卞家雕印的《陀罗尼经咒》，约为唐至德二年(757年)前后刻印。咸通九年(868年)王玠刻印了《金刚经》。这一时间民间刻印的历书，有多种实物流传至今。从以上文献记载和实物流传证明，雕版印刷术是中国古代的伟大发明，“肇于隋时，行于唐世”的说法是可信的。
10) 梵文《陀罗尼经咒》，1974年西安郊区出土。为现存最早的印刷实物
11) 唐僖宗乾符四年刻印的历书
唐代中后期，出现了印刷术发明后的第一次高潮，除佛教界最积极使用印刷术外，道家也开始印书。印刷地域也从京城长安、东都洛阳，发展到四川、江西、淮南、敦煌等地。民间印刷业也开始兴盛。当时四川、淮南一带，民间大量刻印历日，在市场上销售，政府曾下令禁止民间印刷历日。
12) 唐中和二年成都府樊赏家刻印的历书
13) 发现于敦煌藏经洞的雕版印刷品《金刚波罗蜜经》
五代十国时期，虽然出现各地割据，朝代更迭频繁的动乱局面，但印刷术的应用，仍在扩大。但最能代表这一时期印刷发展特点的是，政府开始组织大量刻印儒家经典总集《九经》。发起组织这一刻印工程的是历任数朝宰相的冯道。五代时，另一位组织刻印较多书籍的是任蜀国宰相的毋昭裔。他自己出资雇工刻印了《文选》、《初学记》、《白氏六帖》等书。他还经蜀主孟昶批准，组织刻印过《九经》及历史著作。
14) 观世音像（王代刻印）
15) 文殊师利菩萨像（王代刻印）

宋代(960—1279年)
宋代的印刷业十分兴盛，主要标志是：政府部门从中央到地方大都从事过印书活动，民间印刷业规模扩大，印坊遍及各地，形成了建阳、杭州、眉山、开封、平阳、燕京、兴庆等几个印刷中心；印刷品种齐全，经、史、子、集各类书都有印刷；佛经印刷规模扩大，多次刻印佛经总集；除书籍印刷外，还出现了纸币印刷和商标广告印刷等新品种。
宋代雕版印刷技术已达到很高水平。历代版本学家认为，宋版书雕版精良、纸质上乘、墨色醇厚。在书籍的装帧工艺方面，广泛使用蝴蝶装，从而开创了书籍的册页矩形开本的装帧形式。
宋代在印刷技术上的重大贡献是活字版的发明。据沈括《梦溪笔谈》一书记载，北宋庆历年间(1041—1048年)布衣毕昇用活字版印书。这一发明，开创了活字版印刷的历史，是印刷史上的伟大里程碑。
与宋同时的还有辽、西夏、金等几个少数民族建立的政权。这些地区的印刷水平，与中原及南方地区的水平相似，在某些方面还有所突破。1974年山西应县木塔内发现了一辽代印刷品，除著名的《契丹藏》外，还有其他书籍，从刊印质量看，已经达到很高的水平。其中有几幅印刷敷彩佛像，是经印刷黑白轮廓线条后，再以手工涂彩而成，是迄今发现最精美的纸印刷敷彩工艺。金代的印刷业也很繁荣，最著名的是平阳的印刷业，当时，这里集中了几十家印刷作坊，还有一批刻版工匠被寺院所雇用，刻印佛经。平阳的图版雕刻技艺十分精良，平阳姬家刻印的《四美图》，刻工精细，线条流畅，人物生动，被认为是现存最早的家庭装饰画。都城设于兴庆府(今宁夏银川)的西夏国，是党项族建立的政权。1991年，于宁夏贺兰县拜寺沟方塔中，发现了西夏文佛经《吉祥遍至口合本续》9册，为蝴蝶装。经考古学家研究和有关专家鉴定确认，此件为西夏后期(即12世纪下半叶)木活字版印本。这一印本是现存最早的木活字版印本，在中国古代印刷发展史上具有重要意义。
16) 宋官刻本《礼记注》
17) 《唐女郞鱼玄机诗》，南宋临安府陈宅书籍铺刻本
18) 金平阳姬家刻印的《四美人图》
19) 西夏文活字印本《吉祥遍至口和本续》
20) 《炽盛光九曜图》，辽代刻版印刷后手工涂彩佛像
21) 中国印刷博物馆内毕昇像
22) 回鹘文木活字
23) 济南刘家功夫针铺广告铜版
24) 交子印版。交子是北宋四川印刷的纸币，是世界上最早的纸币

元代(1271—l 368年)
元朝的建立，使中国又出现了统一的局面，印刷业有了进一步发展。北方的主要印刷基地在平阳和大都，南方仍以杭州、建阳为中心。在今天江苏、江西及两湖地区，也分布着较多的印刷作坊。由于国家的统一，为印刷术向偏远地区的传播创造了条件，在今西藏、新疆等地也有一定规模的印刷业。
元代学校的印刷十分活跃，最有名的是西湖书院，它除存有南宋国子监的印版外，还在各地收集了大量印版，所印书籍量很大。学校印刷的另一特点是几所学校联合，分工刻印大部头书籍。这样可以在较短时间内完成整部书的印刷。例如大德年间，由江东九路儒学分工刻印了《十七史》，大约两年多就完成了这一庞大工程。
元代在印刷技术方面也有很大的发展，最主要的有：一、在书籍装订方面，继蝴蝶装之后，又出现了包背装，这种形式使书籍的装帧又向前发展了一步。二、双色套印源于宋代，但只见记载，未见实物，元至正元年(1341年)，中兴路资福寺刻印的《金刚经注》，为朱墨双色套印。三、出现了配有插图的书籍封面。
元代在印刷技术方面最大的成就是王祯对木活字版工艺的改革。他在任旌德县尹期间(1298年)雇工刻木活字，设计了转轮排字盘，按韵存放活字，并用这种工艺排印了《旌德县志》。他将自己对木活字工艺的改良，写成《造活字印书法》一文，附入所著《农书》中。这是最早记述木活字工艺的著作。在王祯之前不久还有人使用过锡活字，这可能是历史上最早的金属活字。
25) 元朱墨双色套印《金刚金注》
26) 王祯转轮排字盘模型

明代(1368—1644年)
明代是中国印刷史上最辉煌的时代，其主要标志是：一、前代所开创的雕版、木活字版、金属活字版、整体金属版、多色套印技术等，在明代都有应用，而技艺更为精湛。二、纸墨及雕版技艺等都达到前所未有的水平。三、印刷的规模、品种和数量达到历史最高水平。除经、史、子、集等传统书籍大量印刷外，地方志、科技书、技艺类书、通俗读物、启蒙读物、戏曲、小说等也大量印刷。四、印刷专用字体—宋体字更为成熟，并广泛应用。五、首创木版彩色印刷，并完善了这一工艺。
明代政府的最大印刷工场为司礼监经厂，永乐十九年(1421年)开始建立，到嘉靖年间，已有刻版、刷印、装订、制墨、制笔等工匠千余人，是历史上最大的印刷工场。政府的很多出版物，都由经厂承印。钦天监也设有印刷作坊，主要承印每年度的历书样本。国子监也是政府的主要印书机构。
明代的宗教印刷规模很大，最著名的有明初刻印于南京的《大藏经》和永乐年间刻印于北京的《大藏经》，万历年间又刻印《藏文大藏经》，其规模都超过6,000卷。
藩王府印书是明代的特有现象。由于这些藩王多无实际职务，又有较多资金，因而著作、刻印书籍成风。据不完全统计，各藩王刻印书籍超过500多种。有些书如棋书、乐书、茶书等，填补了书籍品种的空白。地方志的印刷起源于宋代，到明代形成一种风气。各地区，各州县几乎都刻印了当地的方志。由于这些书籍的出版，留下了大量珍贵的历史资料。
明代在印刷技术上的新突破，是首创了木版彩色印刷，它采用分色勾描，分色刻版，逐色套印的工艺，印出近似于原作的彩色图画。明代后期，画家胡正言与微派工匠合作，采用饾版方法，刻印了《十竹斋画谱》四卷，随后又刻印《十竹斋笺谱》，在《笺谱》中，首次使用了拱花技术，这是一种无色压凸印刷。
明代的书籍装帧，已由包背装演变为线装，使书籍的装帧形式更为完美。
27) 无锡华燧铜活字印本《宋诸臣奏议》
28) 《十竹斋画谱》明胡正言饾版套印

清代(1644一l 911年)
清代是中国古代印刷事业发展的又一个高峰期。首先是印刷规模的扩大。清代逐渐形成了从中央到地方、从作坊到私家的出版印书网，所印书籍的品种和数量，都远远超过以往任何时代。其次是印刷技术的发展和印刷工艺的改进。我国古代发明和发展的各种印刷技术，在清代都有使用，有些技术还有所改进和发展。特别是活字版印刷，不但使用比例大大超过任何时代，而且各种活字都有使用。木活字、铜活字、泥活字等都达到很高的技术水平。雕版彩色印刷不但更普及，而且印刷质量更精美。年画印刷发展成为一个规模很大的行业门类，印刷网点遍及全国很多地区，印刷产品进入干家万户，使印刷产品的普及率达到历史的最高水平。因此，就传统的印刷技术应用而言，清代实际上达到了顶峰。
清政府的编印机构是武英殿。清顺治年间，主要使用明朝沿用之经厂所留下的技术力量，以雕版印刷为主。康熙后期，开始制作铜活字，到雍正年间，完成了《古今图书集成》的排印。乾隆年间，武英殿在金简主持下，刻制枣木活字大小各一副，共25万个，用以排印了《武英殿聚珍版丛书》。金简所编的《武英殿聚珍版程式》一书，全面介绍了武英殿木活字工艺技术，是古代珍贵的印刷技术专著。
清代地方政府和机构的印书单位称书局，刻书印刷最早的是康熙年间两淮盐政曹寅建立的扬州诗局，所刻有名的书是《全唐诗》。雍正年问，各省布政司也先后建立印刷机构。
清代民间印刷业最突出的是年画的印刷。明代开创的木版彩色套印技术，到清代用来大量印刷年画。由于年画走进千家万户，销量很大，从而促进了印刷业的发展。最著名的有天津的杨柳青、潍坊的杨家埠、苏州的桃花坞、河南朱仙镇、陕西凤翔、四川绵竹、山西临汾、广东佛山等地，都集中了一批年画作坊。年画的题材多为民间喜闻乐见的戏曲故事、门神、灶马、仕女以及表示吉祥、丰收等内容的画面。一直到20世纪20年代，由于现代印刷技术的兴起，手工木版年画业才逐渐被取代。
29) 清代木版彩色套印年画
30) 《全唐诗》清康熙四十六年（1707年）扬州诗局刻印
31) 中国印刷博物馆清武英殿摆版坊模型
32) 古代幅面最大的雕版印刷品，清顺治元年（1644年）《安民告示》

结束语
以上简要介绍，使我们概括地了解中国古代印刷技术的发展历程。事实证明，中国不但发明了雕版印刷术、泥活字，而且在使用木活字、金属活字等方面都是世界最早的。从宋代开始，中国就出现双色套印技术，到元代已正式用于印书，而且从双色发展到三色、四色套印。明代首创的彩色套印，是世界上最早可以印出近似于原画的，有渐变层次的印刷品。在印版材料方面，除木版印刷外，还有印墨方面的贡献。从宋代起出现了铜版印刷，这说明早在宋代就已经解决了适于金属版所用印墨的技术问题。总之，在印刷史上，中国的发明是多方面的，是逐步完善的，它对人类文明和社会进步的贡献是巨大的。

其它装饰性备用图片：
33) 中国印刷博物馆照片
34) 中国印刷博物馆标志
35) 敦煌旋风装
36) 木雕版
37) 刷印工具