Question

Pick the correct statements.

• A. Calligraphy is a valued skill in China.
• B. Shanghai became an important hub for printing.
• C. Many people started writing including women and merchants.
• D. Printing did not originate in China.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (B), (C)

Many people started writing including women and merchants.

The Chinese printed on long sheets of paper folded the pages outward and called them accordion books because the pages resemble accordion bellows. The pages were folded and stitched at the side, and these were the first books. Printing originated in China. The craftsmen who worked for printers knew calligraphy. Advances in print helped it reach the masses, and more people took to writing, including wives, and courtesans of scholar-officials. Western imperial powers like Britain had set up outposts in China. One such outpost was Shanghai. With the shift from hand printing to mechanical printing, the city soon rose to become the hub of the new printing culture.