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Movable Type Printing (Ceramic Type)

Type Object Region China Time c. 1041

Northern Song's Bi Sheng carved clay characters, fired them hard, and made interchangeable movable type, recorded by Shen Kuo in Dream Pool Essays, m…

Timeline

  1. c. 1041–1048Printing workshops of the Liangzhe Circuit · ZhejiangBi Sheng carved characters in sticky clay, fired them hard, and used pine resin, wax, and paper ash as adhesive for composition; after printing the type could be disassembled and reused, more flexible than woodblock.
  2. 1051–1060Bianjing · KaifengIn the 1050s the movable type method circulated between Liangzhe and capital bookshops, providing the practical basis for Shen Kuo's later record in Dream Pool Essays; this node falls within the 1051–1060 window.

Sources