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Yuan Dynasty Woodblock Printing

Type Object Region Asia Time 1271–1368

Woodblock printing became highly institutionalized in the Yuan dynasty, with official and private printing houses flourishing in Dadu, Hangzhou, and …

Timeline

  1. 1271–1310Dadu (present-day Beijing) · North ChinaIn the early Yuan, printing houses were established or continued at the central and circuit-prefecture levels; woodblock printing handled the collation and publication of classics, statutes, and religious texts, inheriting Song and Jin techniques on an expanded scale.
  2. 1311–1320Hangzhou · JiangnanBetween 1310 and 1320, woodblock printing continued to flourish in Hangzhou, Dadu, and elsewhere, printing not only Chinese classics but also 'Phags-pa texts, and producing banknote plates in conjunction with the paper currency system, reflecting administration and commerce's reliance on mass reproduction technology.

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