Bi Sheng

Bi Sheng (Chinese毕 升/毕 升, Pinyin Bi Sheng, W.-G. Pi Sheng, † 1052 ), a man of low origin, invented 1041-1048 in Imperial China, a method of printing with movable type. For more information about his life is not recorded.

His invention is described in detail by Shen Kuo (沈括) in whose work Mengxi Bitan (梦溪笔谈; German "brush conversations at the dream stream " ) described: Bi Sheng had made ​​for the individual characters print temple of baked clay, which he with a mixture of wax and resin for printing Stock einrichtete.

To use the characters again, the iron plate was again heated until the melting paste released the stamp again. For larger print areas Bi Sheng's ceramic letters were too sensitive (lit. son).

Therefore, Wang Zhen (1260-1330) later used movable type made ​​of wood, but the movable type printing in China did not prevail until the end of the 19th century. Physical evidence for the practical use of Bi Sheng's invention does not exist, the invention was forgotten.

It was not until the late 17th century printed European Jesuit missionaries to the principle of the Johannes Gutenberg first time on Chinese soil on behalf of Emperor Kangxi books with movable type.