A Comprehensive History of Chinese Woodblock Prints

Author: Wang Bomin
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-06-01
Features: The history of Chinese woodblock prints is not dull; it is full of ups and downs, with one climax following another. During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhist scripture cover paintings reached a peak. By the Song and Yuan dynasties, book illustrations and woodblock prints flourished, along with the publication of "painting manuals," which marked a high point of artistic development during this period. In the Ming Dynasty, due to various factors, woodblock printing reached its zenith, and the "history of the body on the surface" of ancient Chinese woodblock prints was vividly reflected during this time. Woodblock printing schools emerged across different regions, and a unprecedented new style of woodblock printmaking also appeared in this era. This peak attracted worldwide attention in history. In the early Qing Dynasty, the prosperity of Ming Dynasty woodblock printing continued for over a hundred years. However, by the late Qing Dynasty, the "history of the surface" of ancient woodblock prints gradually faded into obscurity. The Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty, and with the arrival of a new era, new ideologies surged in. Around the 1930s of this century, the new woodblock print movement emerged. From then on, the new woodblock prints grew increasingly strong. Woodblock artists used woodblock printing as a weapon, fighting at the forefront in the democratic revolution movement, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the War of Liberation, making outstanding contributions and once again opening a new page in the "body and surface" history of Chinese woodblock art.