The Brush Talks

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

The Brush Talks

Listen for free

View show details

Shen Kuo had been one of the most powerful officials in the Northern Song Dynasty — diplomat, astronomer, mathematician, engineer, geologist, and military strategist. In 1081, he was blamed for a military defeat and stripped of his position. Exiled to his private estate near Zhenjiang, he had nothing but his brush and ink slab. He wrote down everything. The result was the Dream Pool Essays (Meng Xi Bi Tan), published in 1088 — an encyclopaedia of 507 entries covering astronomy, mathematics, geology, climate, medicine, engineering, archaeology, and natural phenomena. Among the entries was a meticulous description of movable type printing, invented by an artisan named Bi Sheng between 1041 and 1048. Bi Sheng had baked individual Chinese characters from clay, set them in an iron frame, and printed from them — 400 years before Gutenberg. Because Bi Sheng was a commoner, no other record of his invention survived. Shen Kuo's exile — and his decision to fill it with observation — is the only reason we know movable type was invented in China at all.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No reviews yet