Printing Technology in Rural Society: Rethinking the Rise of Print Culture Through Chinese Genealogies, 1450–1644

Abstract

This article re-examines the rise of print culture in early modern China by exploring the adoption of printing technology for publishing family genealogies. While genealogies had primarily been produced as manuscripts for centuries, in the mid-to-late Ming, elites in Southern China’s Huizhou prefecture began advocating for printed versions. This transition mirrored broader trends in Ming print culture, where printing technology was increasingly applied beyond traditional texts to a wide range of genres. Unlike scholars who have examined this shift from script to print as a precondition for other developments, I explore the process by which the print medium itself became desirable. By investigating the distinctive use of print in creating genealogies, this study underscores the diverse developmental paths of print culture in early modern China, illustrating the key role genealogies played in reshaping social relations within local communities.