Social Environment and Printing Technology Development in Ancient Times 2

Participated in the "Continuation of Xixiawen Buddhist Scriptures" hosted by the Ministry of Culture in 1996. It was a wooden painting version of the printed research project appraisal meeting "and on December 26, 1996 held by the National Cultural Heritage Appraisal Committee" unearthed in the early Tang Dynasty prints unearthed in Shaanxi Province. And related relics review meeting." Only the above three items that are directly involved in the demonstration and appraisal, the mastery of first-hand materials, and the research in the history of printing are described briefly and truthfully as follows:

I. Excavation and Identification of the Curse of Buddhist Scriptures in the Early Tang Dynasty

On November 20, 1996, the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Accreditation Committee organized relevant experts to carry out provincial appraisals of the five Dharani scriptures unearthed in Xi'an during 1974-1990 and the bronze mirrors and bronze coffins accompanied by the excavated cultural relics. . One of the earliest incursions of the Indian scriptures was the Sanskrit Dharani mantra that was unearthed at the Xi'an Diesel Machinery Plant's infrastructure construction site in 1974. The scripture is 27 centimeters long and 26 centimeters wide. Its texture is hemp paper. The surface layout of the printed text is three parts. In the center is a blank box of six centimeters long and seven centimeters wide. The ink book "Wu De's blessing" "Four characters (the frame lacks the word should be "Ming"); the box is surrounded by the Sanskrit script and the four sides of the box are surrounded by triple double borders. Lotus, buds, implements, fingerprints, constellations and other patterns (Figure 6-3). According to the nature of India, characters and patterns, bronze mirrors of burial products unearthed in the same tomb, and copper bronze cymbals loaded with incantations were all made in the early Tang Dynasty or in the Sui Dynasty. Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee identified them as printed materials in the early Tang Dynasty. Although there are still different opinions on the time of the spell's imprinting, the identification of the Tang Dynasty's early prints is credible because of the characteristics of the curse itself and the age of the funerary objects. In addition, the four appraisal committees had different views in the four printed manuscripts, but they all had the same understanding of the Tang Dynasty prints. Undoubtedly, the excavation of the five Dharani scripts in the Tang Dynasty was a major discovery of printed artifacts in the past two decades. It is of great significance to the study of printing history.

II. Excavation and identification of Bi Sheng’s tombstone

In the fall of 1990, a tombstone was discovered at Sleeping Lion Foothills at Wuguidun Village, Wupandun Village, Yingpan County, Hubei Province (Figure 6-4). Two lines of Yangwen characters were engraved in the middle of the tombstone:

After Bi Sheng’s tombstone was unearthed, it caused widespread concern among all levels of government, cultural relics, and archeology in Hubei Province.
And organized relevant experts to conduct field trips. After several years of investigation, the tomb of Bi Shengzhong, another tomb of Bi Xi and eight kinds of artifacts related to Bi's tomb were discovered nearby. Archeologists identified these tombs as Song Dynasty tombs. On this basis, they held six "Bisheng Seminars" attended by Hubei provincial archeologists on 14-16 October 1993 in Yingshan. The experts once again went to the cemetery for an on-the-spot investigation and made a formal appraisal of Bi Sheng’s tombstone: “According to Bi Cheng’s tombstone’s shape, pattern, and inscription, it was determined that the monument was established by Huangyou (1052) in the Northern Song Dynasty. In other words, the inventor of movable type printing in the Northern Song Dynasty in China was Bi Sheng. "Afterwards, on May 5, 1994, the State Cultural Relics Bureau's Collection of Cultural Relics Accreditation Group identified it as a national first-class collection of cultural relics according to the shape, pattern, and inscription of the monument. . However, the appraisal of this monument is of great importance. The historians at home and abroad have also paid considerable attention. In addition, some scholars are still skeptical about the confirmation of this monument. In view of this, with the support of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and with the approval of the Press and Publications Agency, from December 26 to 28, 1995, the China Printing Technology Association, the China Editorial Society, the China Printing Museum, and the Hubei Publishing Association, Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee and Yingshan County People's Government and other six units jointly held the “Yingshan Bisheng Tombstone Symposium”. Shi Shuqing, deputy director of the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, Liu Wei, former deputy director of the Press and Publications Administration, and more than 30 experts and scholars attended the meeting. Participants personally went to the site of grass to make field visits to Bi Sheng and Bi Wenzhong’s cemetery (Figure 6-5). After carefully reviewing Bi Sheng’s tombstone and related cultural relics and repeated argumentation, he made “preliminary recognition of Hubei tombstone” The bisheng monument discovered by Yingshan was the identification of Bi Sheng's tombstone, an inventor of the movable type in the Northern Song Dynasty. Mr. Shi Shuqing, deputy chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Appraisal Committee, also gave four poems to commemorate the memorial. Poetry cloud:

The surname surnamed Zhaozhao sees Mengxi, and the millenial trail has so far been lost;

The Yingshan Archaeology has gained new achievements.

The Lord's Lord has risen with his wonderful voice, and the blurred years are yet to be found;

Half of the word is left blank, and the word is clearly worth millions.

A Mani does not dye dust, double-circle the moon and the moon;

The imperial age is the same as the enemy, and the axe should also be Yimin.

One stone was widely recruited and passed through in tens of thousands of submissions.

To read the monument I admire Yang Guanhai. The carving is clearly the Song Dynasty.

The bisheng tombstone found in Yingshan, Hubei Province, has undergone five years of investigation and research. During this period, it was attended by the provincial archaeologists, the State Cultural Relics Bureau's collection of cultural relics identification team and the deputy chairman of the State Cultural Relics Identification Committee, Mr. Shi Lao.” The three recognitions of Yingshan's “Tombstone Gradation Seminar” should be said that this monument is indeed the tombstone of the movable type inventor Bi Shengzhi. Ying Shan’s hometown is Bi Cheng’s credible. This is a major discovery in the history of Chinese printing and even cultural history. The clues and evidence provided by this discovery laid a good foundation for the further study of Bi Shengsheng, the inventor of movable type printing.

III. The discovery and identification of the earliest existing wooden movable type prints in the world

In September 1991, Ningxia Archaeological Research Institute discovered nine volumes of Xixia Wen Buddhist scriptures “Lucky to All Over and Continued” (hereinafter referred to as the “Continued”) in the ruins of the Baisigou Square in Helan County of Ningxia. word. All are butterflies. According to research by Niu Dasheng, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology in Ningxia, it is believed that this scripture is a relic of the middle and late Xixia period in the second half of the twelfth century, and it is an imprint of wood type.

On November 6, 1996, the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Culture presided over the convening of the “Xia Xia Mantra Classics of the Buddhist Scriptures.” The appraisal committee members listened carefully to the research report of Professor Niu Dasheng and carefully examined and studied the original and relevant papers