The Pre-emergence of Chinese Wood Block Printing—Based on Propagation Medium and Social Transition

Abstract

The application of wood block printing is an important phase of history in the development of Chinese publishing technology. Following the dissemination of oracle bone, stone, bamboo slips, and silk, paper-based printing is a significant technological advancement and social shift. The evolution of media technology in China has resulted in the gradual development of the habit of reading text due to its evolving of environment in culture. However, the demand and acceptance of copying technology in society is not triggered by a certain event, but the cultivation of the concept of the entire society, which is mainly reflected in the change of institutional consciousness and the demand of grassroots society for cultural transmission. This paper mainly analyzes the changes of propagation medium in China and the interaction with social factors before the advent of wood block printing.