[英语学习]中国文化4AncientChineseScienceandTechnology.ppt

Ancient Chinese Science and Technology Paper Making Paper has been a major medium of recording, transmitting, and storing information in human civilization. The earliest characters were inscribed on bones, tortoise shells and bronze wares in the Shang Dynasty and later on silk, bamboo and wood. In particular, the bamboo slip has been used as a book form for the longest time in Chinese history. It was the main writing tool before the invention of papermaking and the popularization of paper. Paper Making In the Eastern Han Dynasty, a court official named Cai Lun (蔡伦) used inexpensive materials such as bark, hemp (麻头), rags, fishnet, wheat stalks (麦杆) and other materials to make paper, known as Cai lun Paper (蔡侯纸). Paper Making The materials were soaked, cut into pieces, boiled with plant ash, washed, and grounded with a pestle (杵) in a mortar (臼). The mixture was then poured evenly on a flat surface to dry, or baked to become paper. It was relatively cheap, light, thin, durable and more suitable for brush writing. Printing Printing, known as “mother of civilization”, was another great invention of the Chinese people. It has a long history and includes block printing (雕版印刷) and movable type printing (活字印刷). Block Printing (Carved plate printing) was probably invented between the Sui and Tang dynasties. The process of block printing started with the cutting of wood into blocks, and then characters were engraved in relief on the blocks. Ink was brushed on the engraved block and a white sheet of paper was spread across it and then brushed with a clean brush on its back leaving an image when the paper was removed. Block Printing was developed on the basis of ancient stone carving and seal carving. In the beginning of the Sui Dynasty (early seventh century) the Chinese people already printed large numbers of religious pictures with carved plates . In the Tang Dynasty , the Chinese people already printed a number of books in fairly wide circulation with carved plates