Guardians of an ancient craft

Guardians of an ancient craft

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.