CBSE · Class 10 · Social Science · History: Print Culture and the Modern WorldWhat was the earliest kind of print technology developed in China?

The earliest kind of print technology developed in China was hand printing. From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of wooden blocks. As both sides of the thin, porous paper could not be printed, the traditional Chinese 'accordion book' was folded and stitched at the side. This early method laid the foundation for mass production of texts long before the invention of the mechanical printing press in Europe, allowing administrative manuals and Buddhist scriptures to be widely distributed across the region.