Yuan Woodblock Printing

Timeline

1. 1271–1285Dadu and Hangzhou · ChinaAfter the founding of the Yuan dynasty, agencies such as the Directorate of Astronomy and the Directorate of Education printed Confucian classics and calendars, while bookshops in Hangzhou carried on the Southern Song printing tradition; Yuan edition layouts and type gradually took on their own style.
2. 1286–1295Four-Bridge Bookshops of Hangzhou · HangzhouDuring the Zhiyuan era, Hangzhou's bookshops sprang up in large numbers, printing classics, histories, philosophers' works, literary collections, medical prescriptions, and encyclopedias; the craftsmen were highly skilled, and books were sold northward and to Korea, Japan, and elsewhere via the Grand Canal and overland routes.
3. 1296–1300Yuan printing centers · ChinaIn the late thirteenth century, the output and variety of Yuan editions reached a peak; beyond traditional classics, printed editions of drama and fiction increased, and Dadu and Hangzhou formed a north-south printing network, making printing an important vehicle for the commercialization of Yuan culture.