Before the invention of printing, acquiring a new book was a highly cumbersome task for scholars. Books had to be copied by hand, character by character, which was both time-consuming and labor-intensive. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the emergence of woodblock printing significantly improved the speed of printing. This technology involved carving characters onto wooden blocks and then printing them onto paper, greatly reducing the amount of manual copying required. However, each book still required a large number of carved blocks, making the process extremely labor-intensive.
While woodblock printing solved some of the efficiency issues related to book reproduction, its inherent limitations were evident. Each time a new book needed to be printed, new wooden blocks had to be carved, which was not only time-consuming but also resource-intensive. Despite the significant technical advancements of woodblock printing, it struggled to meet the demands of large-scale printing.
Around 900 years ago during the Northern Song Dynasty, the great civilian inventor Bi Sheng, through relentless efforts and repeated experiments, invented movable type printing. This invention marked the beginning of a new era in printing technology. Bi Sheng's movable type printing involved engraving characters onto small pieces of clay, which were then hardened through high-temperature firing to create durable movable types. During printing, these movable types were arranged according to the manuscript content to form a complete page, which was then printed. After printing, the types could be disassembled and reused. This innovation made the printing process both economical and time-efficient.
Bi Sheng's movable type printing quickly spread across China and gradually to other regions. It first spread eastward to Korea and Japan, and then westward to Persia and Egypt. The dissemination of movable type printing was not limited to East Asia and the Middle East. Over time, it eventually reached Europe and had a profound impact on European printing technology. In the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg of Germany, building on Bi Sheng's technology, invented metal movable type printing, further advancing printing technology and sparking the European Renaissance. The spread of movable type printing greatly facilitated the development and exchange of cultures across countries. With increased printing efficiency, books became more widely distributed, and knowledge became more accessible. The invention of printing was not only a major contribution of China to world culture but also a significant milestone in the progress of human civilization.
在印刷術發明之前，取得一本新書對讀書人來說是一件非常繁瑣的事情。書籍需要逐字逐句地用手抄寫，過程既費時又費力。隋唐時期，雕版印刷術的出現大大提高了印刷速度。這種技術透過在木板上雕刻文字，然後在紙上印刷，從而大幅減少了手工抄寫的工作量。然而，每印一本書都需要雕刻大量的版，這仍然是一項極其費事的工作。
雕版印刷術雖然在某種程度上解決了書籍複製的效率問題，但其固有的限制顯而易見。每當需要印製新書時，都必須重新雕刻新的木板，這不僅耗時，而且耗費大量資源。雕版印刷術在技術上已經取得了重大突破，但對於大規模印刷的需求，它仍顯得力不從心。
大約900多年前的北宋時期，偉大的平民發明家畢昇透過不懈的努力和反覆試驗，發明了活字印刷術。這項發明標誌著印刷技術進入了一個嶄新的時代。畢昇的活字印刷術將文字刻在小塊的膠泥上，再經過高溫燒製成堅硬的活字。印刷時，將這些活字依照書稿的內容排列成整版，然後進行印刷。印刷完成後，活字可以拆下，重複使用。這項技術的出現，使得印刷過程既經濟又省時。
畢昇的活字印刷術不僅在中國迅速推廣，也逐步向外傳播。首先向東傳播到了朝鮮和日本，隨後向西傳到了波斯和埃及。活字印刷術的傳播不僅限於東亞和中東地區，隨著時間的推移，活字印刷術逐漸傳入歐洲，對歐洲的印刷技術也產生了深遠影響。 15世紀，德國的約翰內斯·谷登堡在畢昇技術的基礎上，發明了金屬活字印刷術，進一步推動了印刷技術的發展，並引發了歐洲的文藝復興。活字印刷術的傳播，大大促進了各國文化的發展與交流。由於印刷效率的提高，書籍得以更廣泛地傳播，知識也更加普及。印刷術的發明，不僅是中國對世界文化的一大貢獻，也是人類文明進步的重要里程碑。