globe Atlas of Heritage
Civilization Object No. 055
Home / Atlas / traditional crafts

Engraved Block Printing

雕版印刷技艺

The world's oldest printing technology — carved wooden blocks producing the earliest printed books, including the 868 CE Diamond Sutra.

dna Heritage DNA
history Origin

Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)

category Domain

traditional crafts

verified Level

UNESCO Intangible Heritage

pin_drop Region

East China

pulse Status

active

Chinese engraved block printing is the world's oldest known printing technology, developed during the Tang Dynasty. Characters and images are carved in relief on wooden blocks, inked, and pressed onto paper. The Diamond Sutra (868 CE), the world's oldest dated printed book, was created using this technique. The craft requires mastery of knife carving, ink preparation, and precise printing pressure.

auto_stories

Stories & Legends

Woodblock Printing: The First Information Revolution

historical

How carved pear wood changed the world, 600 years before Gutenberg.

build

Skills & Techniques

Engraved Block Printing expand_more

The technique of carving text and images in relief on wooden blocks, then inking and pressing paper onto the carved surface to create prints.

Steps

  1. Select pear or date wood and cut into blocks of standard size
  2. Sand the block surface smooth and apply a rice-paste coating
  3. Write the text or draw the image on thin paper in reverse
  4. Press the paper onto the block — ink transfers the design
  5. Carve away the background, leaving raised characters and lines
  6. Ink the raised surface and press paper onto it with a brush

Tools

carving knife set, mallet, ink pad, printing brush, sanding stone

Materials

pear wood block, date wood block, ink, xuan paper, rice paste

hub Knowledge Graph

Relationship Constellation

This heritage item connects to 7 entities across the atlas — masters, places, festivals, and stories.

pin_drop Anhui Province location build Engraved Block Printing skill person Xuan Paper Making ich person Tang Dynasty dynasty auto_stories Woodblock Printing: The First Information Revolution story person Jiangnan region person Wooden Movable-type Printing ich
explore Navigation

Continue the Journey

Explore more heritage items across the atlas.

arrow_back Previous

Yueju Opera (Cantonese Opera)

Guangdong's vibrant opera tradition combining martial arts, acrobatics, and Cantonese singing — beloved across southern China and the diaspora.
Next arrow_forward

Meshrep

A vibrant Uyghur community gathering of music, dance, poetry, and moral education — the living classroom of Xinjiang's cultural traditions.