Woodblock printing technology

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: woodblock printing technology

Applicant: Liancheng County, Fujian Province

Item No.: 428

Project No.: VIII - 78

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Fujian Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Liancheng County, Fujian Province

Protected by: Liancheng Cultural Center

Introduction to woodblock printing technology:

Applicant: Liancheng County, Fujian Province

Sibao woodblock printing technique in Liancheng County of Fujian Province originated in Song Dynasty, developed in Ming Dynasty and reached its peak in Qing Dynasty. It mainly spread in Wuge village and Mawu village of Sibao Township in Liancheng County of Fujian Province. Sibao is one of the four major engraving printing bases in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1580), Wuge village opened the first bookshop. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty, Sibao block printing gradually flourished, and flourished in Qianjia and Daoguang periods, which created brilliant achievements in the history of block printing in China. This folk printing technology is mainly inherited in the family, and has been followed for 15 generations.

Sibao engraving printing technology is pure manual operation, exquisite production. Its engraving production can be roughly divided into five stages: blank plate production, blank plate writing, engraving production, brushing and binding. Blank plate production includes material selection, sawing, soaking, drying, lithography and other processes; blank plate writing includes sample writing, plate loading and other processes; engraving production includes engraving, punching, drawing, plate repairing and other processes; brush printing includes plate fixation, ink brushing, paper covering, brushing, air drying and other processes; binding includes folding, paper matching, paper cutting with curved knife, awl drilling, threading and other processes. The tools used in block printing mainly include carving knife, curved chisel, flat chisel, oblique chisel, hammer, plane, saw, brown brush, small ink tank, paper, etc.

Printing is one of the four great inventions in ancient China. Sibao woodblock printing technology is an important representative of China's woodblock printing technology. It embodies several excellent traditional technologies, such as ink making, carving, and copying, which provide convenient conditions for cultural communication. It is the record and witness of ancient Chinese literature ahead of the world, and has extremely special historical and cultural value.