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Wang Chuanqiao

MuhuoziyinshuajishuTraditional CraftsmanshipRuian, ZhejiangBatch 6 (2025)

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wang Chuanqiao, Male, Han, from Ruian, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Muhuoziyinshuajishu (Ⅷ-135). The tradition is documented in Ruian, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Muhuoziyinshuajishu in Ruian, Zhejiang: Dongyuan Village is located in the southwest of Ruian City, Zhejiang Province. According to the local 'Wang Clan Genealogy of Taiyuan Commandery' (Taiyuan jun Wang shi zong pu), in the early Yuan dynasty Wang Famao, who lived in seclusion in Anxi County, Fujian Province, began to introduce wooden movable-type printing technology into the compiling of clan (lineage) genealogies; the craft of 'ziji' (the technique of compiling genealogies using wooden movable-type printing) thus came into being and has been transmitted uninterrupted through the generations. In the Zhengde reign of the Ming dynasty, some descendants of Wang Famao moved from Fujian to Pingyang, Zhejiang. In the first year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1736), Wang Yingzhong, the fifth-generation grandson of Wang Famao, led his descendants from Pingyang to Dongyuan, and the 'ziji' craft took root in Dongyuan and has been transmitted to the present. The production process of the Dongyuan wooden movable-type printing technique comprises twenty operations—character carving, type sorting, typesetting, proofreading, printing, circle marking, branch ruling, character filling, volume division, temporary binding, sheet cutting, and thread binding—fully recreating the working scene of ancient movable-type printing, and serving as the best material proof that wooden movable-type printing originated in our country.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Wang Chuanqiao is anchored in the documented technical standards of Muhuoziyinshuajishu in Ruian, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Muhuoziyinshuajishu in Ruian, Zhejiang: The Dongyuan wooden movable-type printing technique has a history of more than eight hundred years, and is the only such wooden movable-type printing craft known to have been preserved in China to the present and still in use, worthy of being called a 'living fossil' of world printing technology. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Process Records": The production process of the Dongyuan wooden movable-type printing technique comprises twenty operations—character carving, type sorting, typesetting, proofreading, printing, circle marking, branch ruling, character filling, volume division, temporary binding, sheet cutting, and thread binding—fully recreating the working scene of ancient movable-type printing and serving as the best material proof that wooden movable-type printing originated in China.

Archival Process Records

The production process of the Dongyuan wooden movable-type printing technique comprises twenty operations—character carving, type sorting, typesetting, proofreading, printing, circle marking, branch ruling, character filling, volume division, temporary binding, sheet cutting, and thread binding—fully recreating the working scene of ancient movable-type printing and serving as the best material proof that wooden movable-type printing originated in China.

Core Technique I

The Dongyuan wooden movable-type printing technique has a history of more than eight hundred years, and is the only such wooden movable-type printing craft known to have been preserved in China to the present and still in use, worthy of being called a 'living fossil' of world printing technology.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Wang Chuanqiao was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Muhuoziyinshuajishu, with Ruian, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Muhuoziyinshuajishu in Ruian, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Ruian, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Ruian Huoziyinshua Association as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

Historical origin

Dongyuan Village is located in the southwest of Ruian City, Zhejiang Province. According to the local 'Wang Clan Genealogy of Taiyuan Commandery' (Taiyuan jun Wang shi zong pu), in the early Yuan dynasty Wang Famao, who lived in seclusion in Anxi County, Fujian Province, began to introduce wooden movable-type printing technology into the compiling of clan (lineage) genealogies; the craft of 'ziji' (the technique of compiling genealogies using wooden movable-type printing) thus came into being and has been transmitted uninterrupted through the generations. In the Zhengde reign of the Ming dynasty, some descendants of Wang Famao moved from Fujian to Pingyang, Zhejiang.

Declared area
Ruian, Zhejiang
Safeguarding unit
Ruian Huoziyinshua Association
Inscription batch
Batch 2 (2008)
Item code
Ⅷ-135
Category
Traditional Craftsmanship

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

BearerDeclared areaRoster codeRelation
Wang ChaohuiRuian, Zhejiang03-1399Same declared area
Lin ChuyinRuian, Zhejiang03-1400Same declared area
Wang ChuanqiaoRuian, Zhejiang—This page
Wang ZhirenRuian, Zhejiang—Same declared area

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

  1. Wangchuanqiao (Ruian, Zhejiang) · China ICH Official Project Archive
  2. Wangchuanqiao · China ICH Official Archive

This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。