Wang Pu, an historian in the tenth century, discussed in his book the role of printing in the spread of classical learning. He wrote:

In the second month of the third year of Ch'ang-hsing (A.D. 932) the First and Second Secretariats petitioned the emperor for the printing of the Nine Classics, the test of which would be based upon inscriptions. The Department of Cultural Affairs, ordered by the emperor to be-in charge , of this undertaking, was' to recruit professors and students to collect authentic copies based upon stone inscriptions. Each professor or student was to examine the different versions of a classic in which he specialized, and once the authentic version was determined, duplicate it by hand for as many copies as possible.

The Department of Cultural Affairs was also charged with the responsibility of hiring carvers who would make printing blocks...