Ulf Solter, director of Gutenberg Museum, shows the portrait of German printer Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025.
Yingshan County of China's Hubei Province is home to Bi Sheng, who invented movable clay-type printing technique in the 11th century. His invention, a major revolution in printing history, can now be experienced in the county's Bi Sheng Memorial Hall.
Thousands of miles away in Mainz, Germany, visitors to the Gutenberg Museum have also encountered a similar sense of historic innovation. The museum was established in 1900 to commemorate German printer Johannes Gutenberg, who created metal movable type printing with metallurgical refinements and oil-based ink. Gutenberg's accomplishments came after Bi's movable type printing technology spread westward along the Silk Road.
Both the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall and the Gutenberg Museum serve not only as custodians of history but also as active educators, offering visitors hands-on experiences with these centuries-old techniques. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
This photo taken on March 21, 2025 shows a document printed via metal movable type printing technique at the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
A staff member of the Gutenberg Museum showcases the Gutenberg printing technique in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
A man visits the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province, April 2, 2025. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
People visit the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
Christoph Suender, Print Shop Workshop Manager of the Gutenberg Museum, showcases the metal movable type printing blocks in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
A staff member of the Gutenberg Museum showcases the Gutenberg printing technique in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
This photo taken on April 7, 2025 shows a statue of German printer Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
This photo taken on April 2, 2025 shows a statue of Chinese printer Bi Sheng at the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Christoph Suender, Print Shop Workshop Manager of the Gutenberg Museum, showcases the metal movable type printing blocks in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
This photo taken on April 2, 2025 shows a cultural and creative product featuring movable type printing blocks at the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
A woman visits the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province, April 2, 2025. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
This photo taken on April 2, 2025 shows a statue of Chinese printer Bi Sheng at the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Christoph Suender, Print Shop Workshop Manager of the Gutenberg Museum, showcases the metal movable type printing technique in Mainz, Germany, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
This photo taken on April 2, 2025 shows clay-type printing blocks exhibited at the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
This photo taken on April 2, 2025 shows clay-type printing blocks exhibited at the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
A woman visits the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province, April 2, 2025. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
People visit the Bi Sheng Memorial Hall in Yingshan County, central China's Hubei Province, April 2, 2025. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
