Trace the history of print in China.
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How did China remain a major producer of printed materials for a long time ?
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The imperial state in China, was the major producer of printed material.' Support this statement. [CBSE 2014]
(i) Hand Printing : The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea. This was a system of hand printing. From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper – also invented there- against the inked surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese ‘accordion book' was folded and stitched at the side. Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy.
(ii) Major producer : The imperial state in China was, for a very long time, the major producer of printed material. China possessed a huge bureaucratic system which recruited its personnel through civil service examinations. Textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the imperial state. From the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and that increased the volume of print.
(iii) Printing in the 17th century : By the seventeenth century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print diversified. Print was no longer used just by scholar officials. Merchants used print in their everyday life, as they collected trade information. Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays. Rich women began to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and plays. Wives of scholar-officials published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives.
(iv) Printing in the 19th century : This new reading culture was accompanied by a new technology. Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported in the fate nineteenth century as Western powers established their outposts in China. Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, catering to the Western-style schools. From hand printing there was now a gradual shift to mechanical printing.
Explain the main features of the first printed Bible. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
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Describe any three main features of the first printed Bible. [CBSE 2014]
Name an Act which was passed by the British government to keep a regular track of the vernacular newspapers.
’Liberty of speech … liberty of the press … freedom of association. The government of India is now seeking to crush the three powerful vehicles of expressing and cultivating public opinion, the fight for swaraj, for Khilafat … means a fight for this threatened freedom before all else….’
Who said these words ?
Write about the different innovations in the printing technology during the 19th century ? [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Study the given paragraph and answer the following questions that follow :
Liberty of speech…. liberty of the press freedom of association. The government of India is now seeking to crush the three powerful vehicles of expressing and cultivating public opinion. The fight for Swaraj, for Khilafat …. means a fight for this threatened freedom before all else ….'
(i) Who said these words ?
(ii) Name the freedoms he is talking about.
Why did some people in the eighteenth century Europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]
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Assess the impact of print revolution on the European society. [CBSE 2013]
Who was the major producer of printed material in China ? For what purpose this material was used ?
Give reasons for the following :
(a) Martin Luther was in favour of print, and spoke out in praise of it.
(b) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an Index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century.
(c) Gandhi said the fight for Swaraj is a fight for the liberty of speech, liberty of the press and freedom of association.
What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in nineteenth century India?
Mass literacy increased many fold in the nineteenth century, in Europe. Women children and workers started reading books. Discuss.
The printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that will sweep despotism away". Who said these words ?
In north India, the ulama were deeply anxious about the collapse of Muslim dynasties. They feared that colonial rulers would encourage conversion, change the Muslim personal laws. Mention any two steps taken by them to counter this.
"Woodblock print came to Europe after 1295". Give any three reasons to explain the above statement. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
What restrictions were imposed by the Vernacular Press Act on the Indian Press ? Explain. [CBSE-2011]
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In what ways the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was a repressive step by the Government ? Explain. [CBSE-2011]
How did China remain a major producer of printed materials for a long time ? [CBSE 2013]
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"The imperial state in China, was the major producer of printed material.” Support this statement with examples. [CBSE 2013. 2012. 2014]
How did Gutenberg personalise the printed hooks suiting to the tastes and requirement of others ? [CBSE 2012]