When was the Chinese printing technique invented by whom?
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According to the explanation of the source of the resignation: "Invention, this refers to using your own spiritual intelligence, creating something that has not existed before, or obtaining the previously unknown theory." If it is an existing thing, it is first studied by humans. When you know it, it is called discovery. For example: Edison invented the phonograph, Einstein invented the theory of relativity, and Columbus discovered the New World of the Americas.
First, printing is not a single person to invent
The four great inventions of ancient China - printing, paper, gunpowder, compass, the world has long been recognized. Because when China’s earliest prints, papers, gunpowders, and compasses appeared, all foreign countries were “unprecedented” and all foreigners were “unknown before” and certainly could not deny that they were Chinese inventions. But I wrote in a short article in the 731st issue of "China Week" published in April 1964: "If you ask, when was the invention of printing? Who made it? I am afraid there is no People can make an exact answer, because in the literature only the record of the beginning of the printing period, there is no record of the age of printing, and there is no record of the inventor."
In 1973, I wrote in the book "Introduction to the Printing Industry": "China is the earliest country in the world to invent printing. China's printing is not invented by someone alone, nor is it in a certain The sudden invention of the era is the crystallization of the wisdom of thousands of sages, the accumulation of thousands of years of experience, and the collective creation that has gradually evolved and evolved." However, the introduction is not explained in detail.
In the past 30 years, the study of printing history in the printing history circles on both sides of the Taiwan Straits has been surging, but the invention of printing has not exceeded the scope of my introduction. Therefore, this article is specially written to explain its origin and experience, and to care about Chinese culture. The compatriots of the Chinese people understand why the sages invented printing has no exact age.
Second, the invention of printing is earlier than the beginning of printing
The earliest ancient printing techniques were engraving, which was the process of printing the artwork into a printing plate by hand. Therefore, the study of the invention of printing refers to the origin of engraving, as for the type printing, and so on, it is a matter of thousands of years. Since the Song Dynasty, many scholars have put forward various different opinions on the origin of engraving and printing.
(1) The Eastern Han Dynasty said: According to the record of "Publishing the Book" in the "Han Han Shu", the invention was written in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The main characters include Wang Youxue of the Yuan Dynasty, Zheng Ji of the Qing Dynasty, and Li Zhizhong of the present.
(2) The Six Dynasties said: According to the records of "Yan Family Training" and "Jade Candle Collection", the engraving and printing was invented in the era of Wu, Dongjin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen. The main characters were Li Yuanfu and Japanese Island in the Qing Dynasty. Tian Han and so on.
(3)Sui Dynasty said: mainly based on the records of the "Three Treasures of the Past Dynasties" and "Continuous Biography", the engraving and printing began in the Sui Dynasty. The main characters are Lu Shen and Hu Yinglin of the Ming Dynasty, Gao Shiqi and Qi Kuisheng of the Qing Dynasty, and Sun Shuxiu and Liu Yuzheng.
(4) At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the view of the Emperor: According to the records of the "Female" in the "Hong Jian Lu", the engraving and printing was initiated in the early Tang Dynasty for ten years. The main character is Zhang Xiumin.
(5)Tang Zhong said: mainly based on "Liu's Family Training" and "Bai's Changqing Collection", the sculpt printing was initiated in the Tang Xuanzong era. The main characters are Cheng Dachang of the Song Dynasty, Hu Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Guowei of the Qing Dynasty, and the United States. People Carter and so on.
(6) At the end of the Tang Dynasty: It is mainly based on unknown, mostly free-hearted evidence. It is believed that the engraving and printing began in the Tang Dynasty. The main characters are Ye Mengde of the Song Dynasty, Lang Yi of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yizun of the Qing Dynasty, and Ji Yun.
(7) The Five Dynasties said: According to the post-Tang Dynasty prime minister Feng Dao engraved nine classics, it was determined that the engraving and printing began in the Five Dynasties. The main characters were Wang Mingqing of the Song Dynasty, Luo Xin of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yuwei of the Qing Dynasty, and Yuan Dong.
There are even claims of the Song Dynasty, etc., but new evidences of archaeological research have been discovered, such as the "Diamond Sutra", "The Magical Lotus Sutra", "The Stainless Glory of the Great Dharma", "The Sanskrit Dharani Meridian" And the Western Han Dynasty papers were unearthed many times. The Eastern Han Dynasty and the Six Dynasties have been negated, and the sayings of the Tang and Tang dynasties are not broken. The most important thing is that the main figures who put forward the above are all book historians, premised on printed matter printed on paper. The physical evidence is based on books, and the era of printing inventions advocated is the beginning of printing. The era is not the invention of printing. Printing can never be used to print a book when it was first invented. The printing should be after the printing technology matures.
Third, the author advocates Jiang Yuan said
Since ancient times, China has had the saying of “Jiangyuan Ruyi”. The Yangtze River, the largest river in China, has a total length of 6,300 kilometers. It flows into the sea after flowing through the nine provinces. In ancient times, the Yangtze River was thought to be the source of the Lancang River, and Xu Xiake believed that the Jinsha River was the source. General geography books say that the Yangtze River originated in the southern foothills of Bayan Kala Mountain in Qinghai. In recent years, it has been found that at the junction of Qinghai and Kangzang, the main peak of the Tangalula Mountain, Gradan East (6,621 meters high), the ice tower is like a forest, and more than forty glaciers melt the ice, which is the Yangtze River. Far source. The waters of more than forty glaciers melt into the Weihe River, and then merge with the Chumar River and the Bird Lanmulun River, which is called the Tianhe River. Below the Yushu, the Jinsha River is called the Yibin in Sichuan. For the Yangtze River. Among them, Yibin to Yichang is the upper reaches, Yichang to Hukou is the middle reaches, and below the Hukou is the downstream. If the Yangtze River starts from Yibin, it is not true. For example, Zhuhe, Tongtianhe and Jinshajiang in Jiangyuan District are not part of the Yangtze River. How long does the Yangtze River reach 6,300 kilometers? How can I suddenly emerge from the Yangtze River from Yibin? The Yangtze River is made up of all the sources of living water. It is a small river, a small river, a large river, and a large river. Any water source is a key element of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River has the water of the Jinsha River. The water of the Tianhe River, the water of the Weihe River, and the water of the ice tower melting ice, the source of the flow is comprehensive and consistent, and is inseparable.
On June 1, 1996, I was invited to attend the "Second China Printing History Academic Seminar" held in Beijing. In the meeting, I published a paper "Invented from the Yangtze River Source on Engraving Printing", officially presented the invention engraving "Yuanyuan said" in printing. I started with the above-mentioned source of the Yangtze River, explaining the invention of engraving and printing, and its source is also like the Yangtze River. Because the printing process, whether from a modern scientific point of view or from the ancient people's technical activities, is a comprehensive application of collective cooperation. Whether it is ancient original prints or modern emerging high-tech prints, it is impossible to do it alone on its own. In the case of engraving, it is written, written, engraved, engraved, ink-making, and printed (bark, enamel, enamel, paper, ...) It is impossible for one person to bear the burden of ink-collecting, brushing or smearing. In fact, it is necessary to work together and cooperate with each other.
In the late Neolithic period of 7,000 years ago, China has made patterns of printed pottery and bark. The Xia Dynasty entered the Bronze Society four thousand years ago. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the bronze wares flourished and the graphic transfer technology was used. By the time of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period 2,700 years ago, the technique of printing printed patterns on the printed and printed embossed embossed embossed embossed embossed embossed embossed embossed fabrics had been developed in the Western Han Dynasty. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the enamel-printed ceramic patterns and the imprinted brick and tile characters were popular, followed by the carvings, bones, gold, and stone, and the carved wood version. Later, the paper, ink, and brush were all prepared, simple, copied, and printed. The rubbing and carving of the curse and the Buddha image, popularized by the people, gradually developed and perfected for engraving and printing. Every new process is carried out before and after, and it is developed on the basis of the original old technology. When the new process appears, the old process still exists and it is mutually exclusive. Therefore, the evolution of engraving and printing is a long-term comprehensive process of new and old processes. Due to the addition of various new technologies, printing has become more mature and practical.
If the Yangtze River is compared to the history of engraving and printing, the rivers in Jiangyuan District are like the source of engraving and printing, the Tongtian River is like the ancient period, the Jinsha River is like the modern period, and the Yangtze River is like the modern period. The water of the Yangtze River, between the Weihe River, the Tongtian River, the Jinsha River and the Yangtze River, has a consistent source and cannot be across the board. The era of printing inventions is also a constant source, and it is impossible to cut out the invention years. Engraving and printing is a collective creation of the Chinese sages after a long period of comprehensive evolution. There is no exact age of invention, no exact inventor, no exact location of invention. It is not necessary to force a period of invention that is inconsistent with historical facts, and it is no longer necessary to argue for the age of invention. As long as the historical materials are enriched and the history is true, it is the true history of engraving printing.
Fourth, the literature is not recorded is evidence
The debate over the age of printing was endless because there was no clear and reliable description in the literature. Fortunately, for nearly two decades of archaeological research, several specific physical evidences of paper and printed matter have been discovered. I thought that there is no record and material evidence. It is proof that engraving is a collective creation of the comprehensive evolution of the Chinese sages in a long period of time. Printing is not a strong evidence that someone invented in a certain year.
Why can't I find a word about the invention of printing in the literature? I think there are two reasons:
First, as mentioned above, printing has been developed through thousands of sages, thousands of years of experience, bit by bit improvement, and comprehensive evolution. It is not sudden, not accidental, but commonplace. Take it for granted. In short: it's not news, it won't attract people's attention. It is not new, people have become accustomed to it, and of course there is no need for scholars to record it. If it happens suddenly, the sudden emergence of new things will inevitably lead to people's high interest, vying to spread, causing social sensation, and the historians or the locals will not be able to mention them.
Second, influenced by the concept of the scholar-officials, the readers believe that the printing technique is a small skill of the craftsman, and dismissive. In addition to printing, occasionally there will be authors or publishers who attach the name of the carving worker at the end of the book. The details of the printing technique, the readers are rarely likely to pay any attention. However, the fact is, why did the Song Qingli period be promoted as a clay type, the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Emperor Yuan Xing in the first year of Cai Lun Papermaking, and the Yuan Dynasty Wang Yi to use the wood type inscriptions (now proven to be used in the Song Dynasty), but Have a biography? This is enough to prove that engraving is not a sudden new thing, but something that is commonplace, used to it, and already existing. The small gradient that accumulates over time is like a young child growing up in the parents. It is difficult to detect except for special mutation accidents. What is the obvious change every day. Like a child growing up, not a news, it will not cause the curiosity of the neighbors, and the evolving printing technique, no one will make a description of the words. It is just proof that engraving is not a new invention of someone at a certain time.
Some people are worried that in the literature, there is no documentary evidence about the Chinese invention of engraving and printing. It is believed that engraving is a collective creation of the long-term comprehensive evolution of the Chinese sages. Will foreigners not agree with China's invention of printing? The historical status of power? My opinion is: absolutely not! Because there are more evidences of engravings in China than in any country, there are paper evidences earlier than any country. When there are printed materials in China, foreign countries are not yet available, and foreigners are not known; printing is of course the invention of the Chinese. The invention of paper is also true. Now experts have confirmed that Cai Lun is not the inventor of papermaking, but the hero of papermaking technology. Because before Cai Lun, China already had paper, and I don’t know who was the person who actually invented paper before Cai Lun? But no country's ancient paper is earlier than China. Of course, it cannot be denied that papermaking is the invention of the Chinese. This is also true for engraving and printing. Who do we know who invented engraving? It is not certain that it was invented, but no ancient prints from any country are earlier than China. Of course, it cannot be denied that printing is an invention of the Chinese.
The History of Chinese Printing, published by the Xingcai Cultural and Educational Foundation, details the history of the development of Chinese printing technology. From the Neolithic Age to the end of 2002, it spans 6,000 years and covers all ethnic groups and The region has fully implemented the concepts described in this article. The long-running debate about the invention of engraving should not be repeated in the era of printing, and it can be suspended.