Here's why movable type didn't work well for Chinese and what they printed instead:
* Complexity of Chinese Characters: The Chinese language uses thousands of unique characters, each with a specific stroke order and structure. Creating individual movable type pieces for each character would be incredibly complex and inefficient.
* Woodblocks: A Practical Solution: Chinese printers used woodblocks instead. A single block would contain an entire page of text, with the characters carved in relief. This method, while laborious, was more practical for the large number of characters in the Chinese language.
What did the Chinese print with woodblocks?
* Books: Woodblock printing was extensively used for printing books, religious texts, and literary works.
* Maps: Maps were a valuable tool for navigation and trade, and woodblocks provided a means to reproduce them accurately.
* Calendars: Calendars were essential for planning agricultural activities, and woodblock printing allowed for mass production.
* Playing Cards: Woodblocks were used to create elaborate designs and illustrations for playing cards, which were popular forms of entertainment.
* Paper Money: Woodblock printing allowed for the creation of intricate and secure paper money, a precursor to modern currency.
Although movable type was eventually adopted in China, it wasn't until the 19th century, long after woodblock printing had established itself as the primary method for printing in China.