New Perspectives on the Early Printing History: Commemorating the Centennial of Carter's Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward

The international conference New Perspectives on the Early Printing History: Commemorating the Centennial of Carter’s Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward was held on 1-2 December 2025, co-organised by Prof. Han Qi (CHC) and Prof. Michela Bussotti (French School of Asian Studies). The event was supported by PolyU CHC, the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO), with assistance from the Center for Modern and Contemporary China Studies (UMR8173). Carter’s pioneering book, which first coined the term ‘the Great Four Inventions,’ discussed the background of printing, Chinese block printing, its westward spread, and movable type printing. The conference brought together 14 experts from France, Britain, the USA, Bulgaria, Japan, and China to examine the topics and questions raised by Carter's book. Participants presented papers focusing on various approaches: the period and milieu in which Carter developed his ideas, the theories influenced by or inspired by his work, the development of different disciplines resulting from the publication and translation of Carter's book across countries, the questions Carter addressed or raised and their significance for scholarly research, along with new evidence or theories emerging over the past century to support or challenge Carter's claims. The event also highlighted recent discoveries related to the topics, regions, and periods associated with Carter's work.