fl. 1030s-1040s

Chinese Inventor

The inventor of the world's first movable-type printing press was not Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1395-1468), nor was the first such press built in Europe. In fact China was the home of the first printing press to use movable type, as opposed to printing from carved blocks—which was also invented in China. It was the blacksmith and alchemist Pi Sheng who developed movable type from baked clay, and he did so four centuries before Gutenberg.

The details of Pi Sheng's life are unknown; indeed, sources differ as to the date of his invention, which could have occurred anywhere between 1034 and 1048. It is much easier, however, to discern the historical and technological context in which he created his press.

As with printing, paper had first made its appearance in China. It is possible that the Chinese were making paper as early as...