Question

Imagine that you are Marco Polo. Write a letter from China to describe the world of print which you have seen there.

Answer 1

No. 69 Kublai Khan Avenue,
Khanbaliq (Cambaluc) District,
Cathay, China

Dear Martin,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am currently travelling in China. China developed crude printing technology, as well as the rubbing papers used to produce Chinese literature. Because both sides of the permeable and thin sheet, designed to protect the woodblock-inked surface, could not be printed, the accordion book is folded and stitched at the side. Merchants use this document every day to collect trade information. Reading is a good way to spend spare time. The new audience prefers autobiographies, poetry, fiction, literary masterpiece collections, and master plays. Many women have begun publishing their plays and poems, and wealthy ladies have begun to read.

New technology accompanied the new reading traditions. Mechanical presses and Western printed culture were imported in the nineteenth century as Western power created colonies in China. Shanghai, which also caters to Western-style institutions, has emerged as the new focus for the new print culture. One can see the gradual transition from hand printing to mechanical printing. I am exploring the country and discovered an interesting residential area.
I will be back soon.

Yours sincerely,
Marco Polo