The British Museum has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Chinese printworks outside Asia and it is now putting on a special exhibition to show the developments made since the invention of printing in China around AD 700.
Prints were used in China in different cultural contexts and played an important role in Chinese civilisation. The show includes a wide variety of examples including Buddhist prints from the Silk Road, colourful images used in folk rituals and festivals, imperial engravings, dramatic anti-war images of the Modern Woodcut Movement and contemporary prints by artists that have gained recognition in the international art scene. Divided into six sections and displayed in broadly chronological order, the prints are grouped under the headings ‘Printing and the Spread of Buddhism’, ‘Popularizing Elite Culture’, ‘Popular Prints’, ‘Printing at Court’ the ‘Modern Woodcut Movement’ and ‘Modern and Contemporary Prints’.