Bi Sheng (; 972–1051 AD) was a Chinese artisan, engineer, and inventor of the world's first

movable type Movable type (US English; moveable type in British English) is the system and technology of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual alphanumeric characters or punctuation m ...

technology, with

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

being one of the

Four Great Inventions The Four Great Inventions () are inventions from ancient China that are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and as symbols of ancient China's advanced science and technology. They are the compass, gunpowder, papermakin ...

. Bi Sheng's system was made of Chinese

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

and was invented between 1039 and 1048 in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

Movable type printing

Bi Sheng was born in

Yingshan County, Hubei Yingshan County () is one of the seven counties governed by the prefecture-level city of Huanggang, Hubei, located on the eastern edge of the province, adjoining Anhui, and encompassing the southwestern portion of the Dabie Mountains. The county c ...

a commoner, and his ancestry and details were not recorded. He was recorded only in the '' Dream Pool Essays'' by Chinese scholar-official and polymath Shen Kuo (1031–1095). The book records a detailed description of the technical details of Bi Sheng's invention of

printing: The government official Wang Zhen ( fl. 1290–1333) improved Bi Sheng's clay types by innovation through the wood, as his process increased the speed of typesetting as well. Later in China by 1490 bronze movable type was developed by the wealthy printer

Hua Sui Hua Sui (; 1439–1513 AD) was a Chinese scholar, engineer, inventor, and printer of Wuxi, Jiangsu province during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD). He belonged to the wealthy Hua family that was renowned throughout the region. Hua Sui is best ...

(1439–1513).

Legacy

Bisheng Subdistrict () in

Wenquan, Huanggang Wenquan () is a town in and the seat of Yingshan County in extreme eastern Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the provinc ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

is named for Bi Sheng. The Bi Sheng crater located in the LAC-7 quadrant near the northern pole on the

far side of the Moon The far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that always faces away from Earth, opposite to the near side, because of synchronous rotation in the Moon's orbit. Compared to the near side, the far side's terrain is rugged, with a multitu ...

was named after Bi Sheng by the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...

in August 2010.

Movable type printing

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading