Asked by caleb
Bi Sheng is credited with inventing moveable type for the Chinese 450 years before Europe would see this technology. Why would the learned people of China appreciate this invention?
they saw Bi Sheng as a peer
Bi Sheng also invented public libraries to place his books
it allowed books to be more cheaply produced and affordable
the Chinese were always trying to outdo the people of Europe
All Answers 1
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Correct answer: it allowed books to be more cheaply produced and affordable.
Why: movable type reduced the labor and cost of producing texts, making books easier to reproduce and distribute — a major benefit to scholars, students, and officials who needed access to Confucian classics and other works.
Why the others are wrong:
- They didn’t necessarily “see Bi Sheng as a peer” — appreciation was for the technology’s utility, not personal status.
- Bi Sheng did not invent public libraries.
- The idea that “the Chinese were always trying to outdo the people of Europe” is anachronistic and false; Europe was not the relevant reference point when Bi Sheng lived.
Why: movable type reduced the labor and cost of producing texts, making books easier to reproduce and distribute — a major benefit to scholars, students, and officials who needed access to Confucian classics and other works.
Why the others are wrong:
- They didn’t necessarily “see Bi Sheng as a peer” — appreciation was for the technology’s utility, not personal status.
- Bi Sheng did not invent public libraries.
- The idea that “the Chinese were always trying to outdo the people of Europe” is anachronistic and false; Europe was not the relevant reference point when Bi Sheng lived.
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