Movable Type Printing

There is controversy whether movable type printing belongs to Korean. They looted our Dragon Boat Festival, and said movable type operation, paper and acupuncture were invented by them. As Chinese, we know that it is impossible. However, no matter what will the controversy develop, we are still amazed at the inventions of the ancients. Next let me introduce one of this invention for you. It is movable type printing.

Movable type printing is one of the four great inventions in China. It was invented after long time practices of Chinese people. Since paper was invented in Han dynasty, writing materials were much convenient than before. Before Han dynasty, writing materials were oracle bone, bamboo for major, which would waste time and resource. Around AD 600, people took a hint from seal carving and invented the earliest block printing.

The principle of it was simple. People just needed to attach a manuscript paper to a thick and smooth board. Carving workers cut away white space and then characters came into being. During the work, people would spread ink on these characters, and then covered a paper on them. After that, people would brush paper with hands slowly, and then writing would leave on paper. Although block printing made great impact on culture broadcasting, it still had obvious disadvantages. This situation made people transform the technology of printing. Therefore, Mr. Bi invented movable type printing in the Northern Song dynasty. Before the invention of this technology, Mr. Bi summed up the experience and experimented repeatedly. Therefore, the technology invented by Mr. Bi would improve the weakness of block printing and it became one of the four great inventions in China.

The use of this printing was flexible. Block printing can print hundreds even thousands of books, but it should prepare plenty of writing characters. What about movable type printing? It can avoid the weakness of the former. People just needed to prepare enough types and then it could print. What is more, it could reuse and it was easy to keep because it just needed smaller space. From this point, we know that it was better than block printing. Movable type printing improved the efficiency of printing. However, this technology did not earn respect of society and ruler. Even worse, this technology did not popularize after his death, but it speared. That is the introduction of movable type printing. Wish you have a deeper understanding of it.