Reasons Why the Block Printing Industry Was So Prosperous in Xijing District in the Liao Dynasty

The finding of the Buddhism enshrinement in the wooden pagoda of Yingxian County provides convincing real object proof for the research of the block printing in the Liao Dynasty. The reasons why the block printing industry was so prosperous in Xi ing District in the Liao Dynasty can be summarized as the following five aspects: a. Xijing(as present Datong) was once the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty as well as the temporary capital of the Liao Dynasty which possessed profound culture; b. In the Liao Dynasty,the national policy of respecting and worshipping the Confucianism was put into practice,and the cultural education was highly promoted; c. From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Liao Dynasty,people all believed in Buddhism, and the block printing of the Buddhist Scriptures were very populous; d. In the Xi Jing District,the economy was relatively developed with well-strung agriculture and animal husbandry and handicraft industry; e. The convenient transportation and the dense population in the Xi Jing District facilitated the circulation of the books. All these factors contribute to the developed block printing industry in the Xi Jing district in the Liao dynasty,and lay a solid foundation for the block printing industry moving towards prosperity,as well as exert great contribution to the amalgamation and the development of the Chinese multi-culture.