Like papermaking, printing has a long history in China. These two achievements, together with gunpowder and the compass, are known as China’s Four Great Inventions. Papermaking and printing together provided material and technical conditions for the emergence of books. Papermaking and improved printing in China, the best-of-breed techniques to spread culture, has put an end to the days of handwriting and word of mouth, sped up the dissemination of knowledge, and amplified the influence of the Renaissance Movement in Europe, thus greatly advancing the course of civilization throughout the world. We will learn about China’s woodblock printing and movable-type printing techniques in this lesson.