This introduction provides us with a general picture of the development of printing techniques in ancient China. The facts and artefacts prove not only that China invented woodblock printing and clay movable type, but also that China was the first country in the world to use wood movable type and metal movable type. The use of two-colour printing began in the Song Dynasty (960---279).

By the Yuan Dynasty (1279---368), two-colour printing was used to print books, and it further developed into three-colour and four-colour printing. The colour printing invented in the Ming Dynasty was the first in the world. The results produced could almost match the original and the printed products showed levels of gradual colouri-zation.