The Jinling Buddhist Press, established in 1866 by Anhui native Yang Renshan, was China’s first-ever private Buddhist sutra publishing and distribution agency. Its work is the engraving of printing blocks with Buddhist sutras, their publication, binding into books and distribution, as well as research into Buddhist texts. As a well-known Buddhist cultural institution, the press has contributed much to the revival of Buddhism in modern China. Years of war forced the Jinling Buddhist Press to move several times before coming to its present permanent location at No. 35 Huaihai Road in Nanjing.

Ma Mengqing started work at the Jinling Buddhist Press as an apprentice sutra engraver in 1981 after graduating from high school. Three decades later, only he remains at the press, his then fellow apprentices having long since left. In 2006, the Jinling sutra engraving and printing technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, and in 2009, China’s engraved block printing technique appeared on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. In January of 2013, Ma Mengqing was included among the fourth batch of representative “inheritors” of national intangible cultural heritage.

Treasurehouse of Buddhist Culture

The Jinling Buddhist Press is located on an obscure corner of bustling Huaihai Road in Nanjing. In contrast to its surrounding environment, it is secluded, low-key and has an air of mystery.

During its long history the press has experienced many highs and lows. Yang Renshan founded the press after discovering 300-odd ancient Buddhist books from the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties that had been lost in Japan and Korea and bringing them back to China. After collating these materials he printed and distributed them as books. In 1907 Yang established a Buddhist school named Zhi Huan Jing She. Here he introduced modern concepts to Buddhist education, creating favorable conditions for a Buddhist revival in modern China.

After his death, Yang Renshan was buried in the courtyard of the Jinling Buddhist Press. The press carried on the business of sutra engraving and printing with the support of several senior Buddhists. Its publications are noted for their attention to detail, strict textual collation, clear page layout, delicate engraving techniques and high quality. The Jinling Buddhist Press perfectly combines traditional Chinese woodblock printing techniques with Buddhist culture and art.

In 1937, the invading Japanese army destroyed the woodblocks and buildings in the press compound. In 1952, the Shanghai Buddhist Association formed a committee to conserve the Jinling Buddhist Press, and in 1973 then Premier Zhou Enlai issued directives to restore it. By 1980 the press had resumed its printing and distribution operations. The Jinling Buddhist Press maintains its tradition of hand-made books, and strictly follows the process of manually engraving blocks, printing sutras and binding them into books. The press now houses more than 125,000 blocks engraved with sutras that have been collected from all over the country. They include 1,500 Buddhist classic works and a large number of precious ancient Buddhist books. Its collection has made Jinling Buddhist Press a veritable treasurehouse.