The Four Forts Book Printing Workshop Architecture

The Four Forts Book Printing Workshop Architecture

The Four Forts Book Printing Workshop Architecture is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Four Forts Book Printing Workshop Architecture is located in Sibao Town, Liancheng County, Fujian Province.

The Four Forts Book Printing Workshop Architecture is spread across four administrative villages—Zhongnan, Siqiao, Wuge, and Tiancha—covering an area of approximately 82.5 hectares. The book workshops, which served as the basic facilities for woodblock printing, were called halls, towers, attics, rooms, or shops and bureaus. To date, over 80 surviving buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties remain, including notable examples such as the Linlan Hall built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1736–1795), the Linlan Jiji, Linlan Yiji, and Daguang Book Bureau from the Daoguang reign (1821–1850), and the Zirenwu (consisting of Tianbaolou, Wuben Hall, and Hanbao Tower) in Wuge Village. Most of these workshop buildings feature a traditional Chinese courtyard layout with wooden structures. The central axis typically includes a front, middle, and rear hall. Gable walls are often made of blue brick firewalls, which served a fire-prevention function and are commonly known as "fireproof houses." There are usually ponds, threshing grounds, and gate towers at the front, one to three rows of wing rooms on either side, and surrounding walls or enclosed courtyards. This layout facilitated communal family living while also being suitable for household handicraft workshops. The partition doors and window lattices often feature exquisite wood carvings, and the decorative walls are adorned with brick carvings. Over 5,000 woodblocks from that period, along with printing tools such as book-cutting shelves, cutting knives, ink trays, ink brushes, and ink vats, are preserved within the buildings.

The woodblock printing industry of Sibao originated in the Song dynasty, flourished in the Ming, and reached its peak in the Qing, making it one of the four major woodblock printing bases of the Ming and Qing periods. The surviving complex of book workshop architecture represents the most intact ancient woodblock printing heritage in China to date. As a material manifestation of the thriving woodblock printing industry and an era of unprecedented economic and cultural prosperity, it stands as a physical symbol of Sibao’s glorious history and rich culture, providing invaluable insights for research into China’s woodblock printing tradition. Moreover, located in western Fujian, an area that is home to one of the main Hakka settlements, the Sibao workshops also served as living spaces that embodied many characteristics of Hakka residential architecture. They thus offer important examples for the study of the origins, formation, and humanistic spirit of Hakka culture.

In 2001, the Four Forts Book Printing Workshop Architecture was included in the fifth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Attraction Location

Zhongnan Village, Sibao Township, Longyan City

Sibao Town: A township under the jurisdiction of Liancheng County. During the Song dynasty, it was part of Sibao Li in Changting; after 1949, it became Sibao District, was incorporated into Liancheng County in 1951, and was re-designated as Sibao Township in 1984. Located in the northern part of the county, it covers an area of 58.8 square kilometers with a population of 16,000. The township government is headquartered in Wuge. It administers eight village committees: Wuge, Tiancha, Zhongnan, Siqiao, Tuanjie, Shuangquan, Shangjian, and Huangkeng. Local enterprises include firecracker factories, flavor pigment plants, steel ball factories, and garment factories. The main agricultural products are rice, fruit, and tea, with specialties such as honey peaches. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was one of the four major woodblock printing bases in China. The author of the Qing-era textbook “Youxue Qionglin” (The Forest of Knowledge for Youth) was… More detailed information about Sibao Town ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units