The invention of printing in China experienced block printing in the early Tang Dynasty and developed into movable type printing in the Song Dynasty. The improvement technology and optimization from block printing to movable type printing are collectively called inventions. From non-metallic movable type to metal movable type, it is not an invention in a complete sense to innovate printing materials and word-making technology by using the same printing principle, but it can also be called an invention in a broad sense.
According to the literature records and the existing early prints, the author thinks that non-metallic movable types such as wood movable type and clay movable type were invented in the Northern Song Dynasty, and metal movable types such as tin movable type and copper movable type were also invented in the Northern Song Dynasty. In the following hundreds of years, movable type made of wood, mud, tin and copper was used alternately. Because China has a vast territory and a large population, there is a great demand for books, and the role of metal movable type in social life can not be ignored. ① Wang Zhen (1260- 1330), a scientist in the Yuan Dynasty, said in Making Movable Type and Printing Calligraphy (1298): "In modern times, it is difficult to print books by casting characters with tin, penetrating them with iron bars." This is the earliest record of metal movable type in China. Of course, what people said in the early Yuan Dynasty was the Song Dynasty, indicating that books were printed with tin movable type in the Song Dynasty. From non-metallic movable type to metal movable type is a major change in printing materials and word-making technology.
② Sun Congtian (1769- 1840), a bibliophile in the Qing Dynasty, wrote in the Collection Summary (18lO): "Bronze prints and movable types were engraved in the Song Dynasty". The Ming Dynasty clearly stated that there were copper movable-type books in the Song Dynasty. The Mystery of Menglin in the Ming Dynasty (North Map Chongzhen Edition) reprinted Song's articles, including "Carving a golden pen, respecting the public in the world" ... "Old man Sun, Jing You retired in April for three years, and the garden dream ended". Mr. Zhang Xiumin, a famous expert in printing history, thinks that gold engraving should be copper engraving, and that it is most likely to engrave copper movable type by printing the secret strategy of dreams into eight volumes. The title of "taking copper as gold" has become a custom throughout the ages. The author thinks that the analysis that the gold version should be the copper version is correct. First, in the third year of Jingyou (1036), the gold mine output was 15000 kg, equivalent to 15000 kg, while the copper output in that year was 5 100000 kg. This disparity between gold and copper made it impossible to use rare and precious gold nuggets in the Northern Song Dynasty. The second reason is that gold is soft and not suitable for movable type. Moreover, the smelting technology in the Northern Song Dynasty reached the peak of history, and a large number of works could be printed with copper movable type. The secret strategy of Garden Dream was earlier than the detailed ceremony of Korea 1234 198, more than 340 years earlier than the straight point of Korea 1377, and even 5 years earlier than the pottery movable type invented by Bi Sheng in the same period.
The appearance of copper coins and copper-tin plates in Song Dynasty proved that this analysis can be established. Two years ago, the secret strategy of dreams was printed, that is, 1034, and the government issued a "payment from the government" to receive the meeting. Accept coins, but don't do them. It can be traced back to the bronze version of the Tang Dynasty. Baoji Museum has 8 13 bronze casting and printing versions of thousands of Buddha statues in the Tang Dynasty.
The five dynasties copperplate prints further confirmed the authenticity of the invention of metal movable type in Song Dynasty. Yang, a scholar in Jingtai period of Ming Dynasty, said in Textual Research on Zhu Classics: "Nine bronze editions of Jin Tianfu (936-943) can be copied with paper and ink without writing." Tianfu Bronze Plate is mentioned in The Evolution of Nine Classics and Three Biographies in Song Dynasty (11234), which proves that this is the case. Many historians believe that the Nine Classics has more than 400,000 words, and it is impossible to carve such a huge project on a copper plate. Tianfu copper plate may be copper movable type. To say the least, this copper movable type is an orphan. At that time, the material and technical conditions for carving movable type were not fully available, but the appearance of the five dynasties copperplate prints was a powerful impetus to the invention of metal movable type in Song Dynasty. In Huang Cheng's "Collected Works of Mr. Huang Jinhua" (1277- 1357), there is an inscription on Gong Yanta in Beixi, which was written for the monk Yan Zhi. It is said that the third year of Yingzong (1320- 1323) is 1323. Unfortunately, the early death of Yingzong failed to come true. However, it shows that the copper movable type technology for printing Buddhist scriptures existed as early as 1320 years ago, which was 57 years earlier than the Korean "Zhi Zhi" 1377.
The above facts prove that metal movable type was invented in the Song Dynasty and was invented at the same time as non-metal movable type.