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 an early 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 evidence is 1, and the Ming Dynasty's "Mystery of the Dream Forest" (North Map Chongzhen Edition) reprinted the Song article, which contained "Engraving the golden pen and respecting the public everywhere" ... "Old man Sun 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.
Evidence 2: The Bronze Statue of a Thousand Buddhas (1 148) made by Li Xi in Pingyang House, Chen Wu, Golden Tong was written in bronze movable type. According to the word skew. The author thinks that the smelting industry in Jin Dynasty has surpassed that in Northern Song Dynasty in modeling and technical level. Bronze movable type was published in the Song Dynasty, so the Jin Dynasty, which was contemporary with the Song Dynasty, certainly had the technical conditions for the emergence of bronze movable type. This is 86 years earlier than the detailed ceremony of North Korea 1234, and 229 years earlier than the direct reference of North Korea 1377.
Evidence 3. In the Collected Works of Mr. Huang Jinhua written by Huang Cheng (1277- 1357), there is an inscription on Beixi, which was written by monk Zhiyan, saying that it was the third year of Yingzong (1320- 1323)65438. 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.