Block printing is the earliest printing form in China. The woodcut "Dalagni Classic" was discovered in South Korea in 1966 and carved between 704 and 75 1 year. It is the earliest woodcut print known at present. The earliest block printing in the s was the Diamond Sutra written by Tang Xiantong in the 9th year (868) (existing in the British Museum), but block printing probably appeared around 2000 years ago.
The first step of block printing is to make the manuscript. Then turn the manuscript over, spread it on a flat big wooden board and fix it. Then craftsmen of various technical levels carve the original paintings, paintings or writings on the board. Master carvers are responsible for fine parts, while less talented craftsmen carve cheaper wood or less important parts. Then, the board is inked and pressed in a printing machine to form a copy of the original.
In some methods, block printing is better than casting movable type printing. For example, if a language like Chinese has a large character set, block printing will be cheaper at the initial investment. This craft also has more freedom of artistic painting, such as drawing and charting. However, the printing plate is not durable, and it will be damaged quickly in printing, so it needs to be replaced constantly, which limits the possibility of batch printing.
The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20th, 2006, printing technology was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. On June 5th, 2007, the Ministry of Culture confirmed Chen Yishi, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province as the representative inheritor of this cultural heritage project and included it in the list of 226 representative inheritors of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects.
gunpowder
One of the four great inventions in China. Outstanding achievements in the history of human civilization.
A kind of explosive with low detonation velocity. A substance that can be ignited by sparks, flames, etc. When burning, it produces a lot of gas, which has the function of blasting or pushing (making projectiles and other objects launch at a certain speed). The earliest application was black powder invented by China. According to the nature of combustion, it can be divided into pyrotechnics (smoke is produced when burning, such as black powder) and smokeless drugs. Mainly used as ignition or propellant.
Gunpowder is also called black powder. It is a substance that can burn quickly and regularly under the action of appropriate external energy, and at the same time produce a large number of high-temperature gases. Militarily, it is mainly used as the propellant of bullets and shells, the propellant of rockets and missiles and the energy source of other driving devices, which is an important part of ammunition.
Gunpowder was invented by China people, and it has been over 1000 years. The study of gunpowder began with ancient alchemy.
China was the first country to invent gunpowder, and black gunpowder appeared in the late Tang Dynasty (the end of the 9th century). Gunpowder was invented by ancient alchemists. From the Warring States Period to the early Han Dynasty, emperors and nobles were addicted to the illusion of immortality, which drove some alchemists and Taoist priests to refine the "elixir" and gradually invented the formula of gunpowder during the refining process.
In the first year of Yongchun, Tang Gaozong (682), an alchemist initiated the sulfur fire extinguishing method in the Tang Dynasty. Sulfur and saltpeter were ground into powder, and then Gleditsia sinensis (containing carbon) was added. In the third year of Yuanhe in Tang Xianzong (808), flint method was created to burn saltpeter, sulfur and Aristolochia (containing carbon) together. These two formulas are a mixture of three kinds of medicinal materials, which have initially possessed the ingredients contained in gunpowder.
The initial use of gunpowder was not in the military, but in the acrobatic performances of various military circuses in the Song Dynasty, as well as the fireworks acrobatics in puppet shows-acrobatic programs such as "Holding Gong", "Hard Ghost" and "Dumb Art Play" in the Song Dynasty, all of which used newly developed gunpowder products to "explode battles" and "spit fire" to create a mysterious atmosphere. Song people also used gunpowder to perform magic tricks, such as spraying fireworks and clouds to avoid people and change things, in order to achieve magical and confusing effects!
Other scientific and technological achievements
The improvement of productive forces and economic prosperity in the Tang Dynasty provided conditions for the development of science and technology, so brilliant achievements were made in the field of science and technology. These achievements are mainly manifested in astronomy, mathematics, geography, medicine and printing.
The monks of astronomy and mathematics and their party, whose real name is Zhang Sui, were the most famous astronomers in the Tang Dynasty. When I was young, I was proficient in calendar images and the study of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. Tang Xuanzong called him to Chang 'an to preside over the calendar change. At that time, Liang Lingzan led Cao Congjun, a government soldier, to make a model of the musical instrument of Muhuang Island. A group of people advocated using copper casting instead, and continued their research with Ling Zan. After two years' efforts, I finally produced the Musical Instrument of Tonghuangdao in the 12th year of Kaiyuan (724). The following year, the regiment and Liang Lingzan were ordered by Xuanzong to develop a bronze water-borne armillary sphere for timing. The production of ecliptic entertainment apparatus and water ammunition has played a great role in observing astronomical phenomena. In the 13th year of Kaiyuan, the group used its own "complex moment diagram" to make Nangong say that people would go to several places in Henan to measure the height of the North Pole and the length of the sun's shadow on the vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice, and the length of the earth meridian of 1 was about123,700 meters. This is the first measured meridian in the world, which is of great significance. A line is also the first astronomer in the world to discover the change of star position. Before his death, he compiled a draft of Da Yan Li, which was later compiled into a book by Zhang Shuo and others. This is an important almanac in ancient China. The unequal interval quadratic difference interpolation method, sine function table and cubic difference approximate interpolation formula used in the compilation of this calendar are outstanding contributions in mathematics.
In addition, Li's Ten Notes on Calculations and Wang Xiaotong's Collection of Ancient Arithmetic are also important achievements in mathematics.
An important geographical work in the early Tang Dynasty was Kuozhi. The fourth son of Emperor Taizong recruited bachelor Xiao Deyan, Jiang Yaqing and others. , and compiled a book according to the data in the Thirteen Years of Zhenguan, which was played in the Sixteenth Year of Zhenguan (642). The Broad Tale comprehensively describes the establishment and evolution of administrative districts in the early Tang Dynasty, and introduces the mountains, rivers, customs, products and people's stories in various places. The book has 550 volumes and five prefaces, which are rich in content. It's a pity that it's not finished yet. Only a few volumes have been compiled since the Qing Dynasty.
Jia Dan is a famous geographer in Tang Dezong. In the seventeenth year of Zhenyuan (80 1), he drew a picture of foreigners in the sea and wrote forty volumes of "Four Foreigners in Ancient and Modern County Roads". Among them, the map of Haihua Yi contributed the most, three feet long and three feet wide, with inches as a hundred miles. Ancient place names are marked in black, and Tang place names are inscribed in red. Unfortunately, the original map has been lost, but the stone carving of Huayitu compiled according to it in the12nd century is still preserved in the forest of steles in Xi 'an. Jia Dan's other important geographical works include ten volumes of Four Records of China and four volumes of Ten Records of Zhenyuan.
Another important geographical work in the Tang Dynasty is the Map of Yuanhe Counties written by Li Jifu, Prime Minister of Tang Xianzong in the eighth year of Yuanhe (8 13). There are forty volumes in this book and two volumes in the catalogue. Before each introduction of the 47 towns, a map was attached. The book records the products, tributes, registered permanent residence, state and county evolution, and mountains and rivers at that time. The original book has only thirty-four volumes, and the map has been lost. It is the earliest collection of local chronicles in the history of China, which has a great influence on the compilation of local chronicles in later generations.
In addition, Du You's General Canon and the 14-volume Zhouxian Canon also occupy a certain position in the history of local chronicles. Shuman written by Fan Chuo at the end of Tang Dynasty recorded the nationalities, customs, mountains, rivers and roads of Erhai Lake in detail. This is an earlier chronicle book, which provides rich materials for the study of ancient Yunnan geography and Nanzhao history.
Medical Sun Simiao was a physician and pharmacologist in the early Tang Dynasty. In the third year of Emperor Gaozong Yonghui (652), he wrote 30 volumes for emergency use. He believes that "life is a matter of life and there is a precious daughter", so he named his book "A Thousand Daughters for the Party". This book extensively collects important prescriptions from ancient times to the early Tang Dynasty, and deeply discusses the diagnosis and treatment strategies, acupuncture methods, and health-care techniques. Later, Sun Simiao felt that "Thousand Women" was still flawed, and he made up thirty volumes of "Thousand Women's Wings". These two books occupy an important position in the history of pharmacy in China, and later generations revere Sun Simiao as the "King of Medicine". In addition, The New Materia Medica published by Tang Ting in 659 is the first official pharmacopoeia in the world. This is an important contribution made by the medical workers collectively during the Tang Gaozong period.