Early Print Technology in East Asia

Print Technology in China, Japan, and Korea

• The earliest print technology developed in China, Japan, and Korea was a system of hand printing.
• In China, books were printed from AD 594 onwards by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.
• Due to the thin and porous nature of paper, only one side could be printed, leading to the development of the traditional Chinese 'accordion book' that was folded and stitched at the side.
• Skilled craftsmen could accurately duplicate the beauty of calligraphy through this process.

Imperial State and Printing

• The imperial state in China was the major producer of printed material for a long time.
• The state sponsored the printing of vast numbers of textbooks for civil service examinations, which recruited personnel for the huge bureaucratic system.
• The number of examination candidates increased from the sixteenth century, leading to an increase in the volume of print.

Diversification of Print Use

• By the seventeenth century, urban culture blossomed in China, and the uses of print diversified beyond scholar-officials.
• Merchants used print to collect trade information, and reading became a leisure activity.
• The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays.

Women and Print Culture

• Rich women began to read, and many women started publishing their poetry and plays.
• Wives of scholar-officials published their works, and courtesans wrote about their lives.

Western Influence on Print Culture

• Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported in the late nineteenth century as Western powers established their outposts in China.
• Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, catering to Western-style schools.
• There was a gradual shift from hand printing to mechanical printing.

Print Technology in China, Japan, and Korea

• The earliest print technology developed in China, Japan, and Korea was a system of hand printing.
• In China, books were printed from AD 594 onwards by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.
• Due to the thin and porous nature of paper, only one side could be printed, leading to the development of the traditional Chinese 'accordion book' that was folded and stitched at the side.
• Skilled craftsmen could accurately duplicate the beauty of calligraphy through this process.

Imperial State and Printing

• The imperial state in China was the major producer of printed material for a long time.
• The state sponsored the printing of vast numbers of textbooks for civil service examinations, which recruited personnel for the huge bureaucratic system.
• The number of examination candidates increased from the sixteenth century, leading to an increase in the volume of print.

Diversification of Print Use

• By the seventeenth century, urban culture blossomed in China, and the uses of print diversified beyond scholar-officials.
• Merchants used print to collect trade information, and reading became a leisure activity.
• The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays.

Women and Print Culture

• Rich women began to read, and many women started publishing their poetry and plays.
• Wives of scholar-officials published their works, and courtesans wrote about their lives.

Western Influence on Print Culture

• Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported in the late nineteenth century as Western powers established their outposts in China.
• Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, catering to Western-style schools.
• There was a gradual shift from hand printing to mechanical printing.