《印刷术的故事》讲述了中国古代印刷术起源
与发展的故事。其中有一条清晰的脉络就是中国文
化繁荣与发展推动了印刷术的发展。2000多年前的
中国百家争鸣，各种学说的传播期待一种 高效的
书写方式，到了科举时代，读书人对于阅读儒家经
典的需求日益增强， 是迫切需要一种快速复制书
籍的技术。中国古人从拓碑的原理中受到启发，发
明了雕版印刷术。但为了解决雕版印刷中容易出错
的难题，提高印刷的效率，宋代的毕昇潜心研究，
又发明了活字印刷术。如果说纸张为知识的传播提
供了经济便捷的载体，那么印刷术则为知识的传播
插上了一双翅膀，印刷术让文化的交流打破了时间
和空间的限制。
The Story of Printing looks at the origin and development of printing in ancient China, and how thriving Chinese culture helped advance printing techniques. More than two thousand years ago various schools of thoughts vied for attention in the country, and their propagation demanded a more efficient way of writing. By the time the imperial examination system was established, the growing demand by scholars for studying Confucian classics meant that a method of quickly copying books needed to be found. Inspired by paper rubbings of engraved stone steles, ancient Chinese invented woodblock printing. In the Song Dynasty some one thousand years ago, Bi Sheng tried to tackle the issue of frequent mistakes in carving printing blocks and gaining higher efficiency by inventing printing using movable type. If paper offered an economical and convenient medium for the spread of knowledge, then printing added wings to this process, breaking the boundary of time and space for the transmission of culture.
