From: Man@the.keyboard   
      
   On Sun, 1 Feb 2026 23:13:01 +0000, Mr Xi Ji Ping    
   wrote:   
      
   >   
   >> Even people with no printer, have discovered that   
   >> now they can print!   
   >>   
   >   
   >   
   >Yes, it's true that the origins of printing technology can be traced   
   >back to China. The Chinese invented **woodblock printing** around the   
   >9th century during the Tang Dynasty. This method involved carving an   
   >entire page of text or images onto a wooden block, then inking it and   
   >pressing it onto paper or cloth.   
   >   
   >However, the Chinese also developed **movable type printing** much   
   >earlier than Europe. The most famous early example is **Bi Sheng's   
   >movable type** printing around the 1040s during the Song Dynasty.   
   >Instead of carving an entire page on one block, movable type allowed for   
   >individual characters to be rearranged and reused, which made printing   
   >much more efficient.   
   >   
   >While Gutenberg's printing press, invented in the 15th century in   
   >Germany, is often credited with revolutionising printing in Europe, the   
   >Chinese innovations in printing laid the groundwork for later   
   >developments. In fact, it's believed that the **knowledge of Chinese   
   >printing** spread to the Middle East and Europe along trade routes like   
   >the Silk Road.   
   >   
   >So, in short, the invention of printing technology did originate in   
   >China, though it evolved over time and spread across different cultures.   
      
    Okay, a question: if the Chinese had printing some five centuries   
   before the Germans, why wasn't their 15th Century as technologically   
   advanced as the European 20th? They had the population so they should   
   have had the spread of wit, intellect, skills and curiosity that   
   Europe had. We "should" have had Chinese Moon-cities for at least a   
   couple of centuries.   
      
    And yes, I could ask why steam engines never caught on in pre-Roman   
   Greece or why no-one in six millennia and more thought of isolating   
   sick people and exterminating rats.   
      
    Or why the Americas only ever made wheels for the toys of their   
   children.   
      
    Sometimes, humans don't seem to be very bright. :)   
      
                                                             J.   
      
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)