Movable-type Printing Activities in the Ming Dnasty and Publications Produced Using Movable Type

Presentation Movable-type Printing Activities in the Ming Dnasty and Publications Produced Using Movable Type June 29, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Online More Details More Details Presented by UCLA Library, The Claremont Colleges Library and Columbia University Libraries with funding support from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation. Speaker: Zhaohui He | 何朝晖, Professor, Institute for Classical Philology, Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies, Shandong University Movable-type printing flourished during the Ming dynasty. This prosperity was reflected in its wide geographic distribution, the large number of institutions and groups engaged in movable-type printing, and the broad range of works produced, covering the classics, histories, philosophical writings, and literary collections. A considerable number of such editions survive today, including both wood movable-type and metal movable-type prints. Beginning with the social background of the Ming dynasty, this lecture analyzes the reasons behind the flourishing of movable-type printing. It outlines the development of movable-type printing during the Ming period and examines its position in the history of Chinese printing. Drawing on specific examples and physical editions, the lecture further explores the distinctive features of Ming movable-type printing, its relationship with woodblock printing, its role within the publishing industry, and its impact on the social and cultural life of the Ming dynasty. This program will be delivered in Chinese with live simultaneous English interpretation provided by Yu Xuan Tay, Ph. D. student of Buddhist Studies at UCLA. Click the More Details button to RSVP or register now (opens in a new tab) . He Zhaohui is a professor at the Institute for Classical Textual Studies, Institute for Advanced Confucian Studies, Shandong University. His primary research fields include Ming history, philology, and book history. His publications include A Study of County Administration in the Ming Dynasty, Late Ming Literati and Commercial Publishing, Books and History, Annotated Guide to Ming Government Publications, The Social History of the Book: Books and Literati Culture in Late Imperial China (translated work) , An Introduction to Book History (translated work) , and In Service of the Predecessors: A Commemorative Volume for the 120th Anniversary of Gu Tinglong’s Birth (edited volume) , among others. Related Series EVENT SERIES Training the Trainers: Materiality of Ming Books and Manuscripts May 4, 2026 - July 27, 2026 An introduction to the history and material culture of Ming books and manuscripts