Guardians of an ancient craft

Guardians of an ancient craft

雕版印刷:印刷史上的“活化石”!

Chen Yishi, of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, has devoted most of his life to woodblock printing, an ancient art that has embodied the charm of Chinese characters for hundreds of years.

陈义时来自江苏省扬州市，他几乎把一生都献给了雕版印刷，这门古老的艺术数百年来一直承载着汉字的魅力。

In 2006, the traditional craft was listed among China's first items of national intangible cultural heritage, and Chen has been honored as a representative inheritor. In 2009, Chinese woodblock printing was included in UNESCO's Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

2006年，这门传统手艺被列为中国第一批国家级非物质文化遗产项目之一，而陈义时则被誉为代表性传承人。2009年，中国雕版印刷工艺入选联合国教科文组织的《世界人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》。

The ancient craft, now largely replaced by modern printing techniques, is no longer widely used to communicate. It mainly appears as a traditional art form. It has a particular beauty that draws the admiration of many around the world. Great patience, diligence and skill are required to carve a single block of wood. To complete a book, craftsmen must carve dozens of blocks.

这门古代工艺如今已基本被现代印刷技术所取代，不再广泛用于沟通交流了。它主要是作为一种传统的艺术形式而存在。它具有一种独特的美感，受到了全世界许多人的赞赏。哪怕只是雕刻一块木板，都需要极大的耐心、不懈的努力和高超的技巧。为了完成一本书，工匠们必须要雕刻几十块木板。

Known as the " living fossil" of printing, woodblock printing originated in China during the Tang Dynasty(618-907). Inheritors of the craft follow the ancient ways, using traditional tools to carve characters and patterns on a wooden block. Next, ink is applied to the carved face and blank pages of paper, silk or other material are pressed down on the ink, picking up the impression. Those pages are then bound into a book.

雕版印刷被称为印刷史上的“活化石”，它起源于中国的唐代(618-907)。这项工艺的传承人遵循古法，使用传统工具在木板上雕刻汉字和图案。然后，他们在雕刻过的木板表面上涂上墨水，并将空白的纸张、丝绸或其他材料覆盖在木板上，这些材料沾上墨水，就能留下字迹。这些纸张随后就可以装订成书。

Together with movable type for printing, carved woodblocks occupy a place of honor in China as one of the " Four Great Inventions" of the past. The blocks continue to play an important role today in communicating the story of human history.

雕刻印刷和活字印刷一同被誉为中国历史上的“四大发明”之一。如今，雕版印刷继续在人类历史的传达与讲述中发挥着重要作用。