Chinese scholars and printers will make use of centuries-old papermaking and woodblock printing technologies to reprint a 266-year-old royal edition of the Chinese-language Tripitaka, the Buddhist canon.

The gargantuan project, which officially began on Saturday, will take at least five years to complete, according to Su Shishu, president of the Cultural Relics Publishing House. The publisher is working with Beijing Jinglulun Cultural Communication Co. to handle the actual printing.

The paper to be used for the reprinting will come from Jingxian County, in east China's Anhui Province. The county, known as Xuanzhou in ancient times, is famous for its paper products used in traditional painting and calligraphy

The reprinting of the Qing dynasty (AD 1644–1911) edition of the Chinese Tripitaka "will be a major event in the development of Chinese culture since it helps pass down this Buddhist treasure," said Yicheng, chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association.

Above all, the work perpetuates a centuries-old Chinese cultural tradition, Yicheng said.

Called the Dazangjing in Chinese, the royal edition of the text was first compiled and printed under the direct order and patronage of the first emperor of the Song dynasty (AD 960–1279). The invention of woodblock printing technology made the undertaking possible.

The work was the culmination of the continuous efforts of monks and secular scholars over a period of more than 1,000 years, beginning when Buddhism was introduced to China from India in the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220).

The Song dynasty edition of the Tripitaka, carved in bas-relief onto 130,000 wood plates, contained nearly 2,000 different books in more than 5,048 volumes. Most were translated directly from the Sanskrit originals, which are now lost.

The Tripitaka, or "Three-part Teachings," includes discourses with the Buddha, or sutras, with commentaries by renowned scholars and rules for monastic life. Moreover, it shares human knowledge in studies covering philosophy, history, ethnic groups, languages, literature, astronomy, astrology, medicine and architecture, among other topics.

In 1733, Emperor Qianlong, the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, had more than 130 monks collate the previous royal editions, which included Yuan (1280–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) versions.

Emperor Qianlong then engaged artisans to carve the 76 million Chinese characters in bas-relief onto 79,036 pieces of fine hardwood. Each wood plate is 60 centimeters long, 30 wide and five to six thick. Altogether, they weigh some 480 tons.

The press run, completed in 1738, was limited to 100 sets of what was popularly known as the Dragon Edition of the Qing dynasty Tripitaka. Each set contained 7,245 volumes in 1,625 titles.

The pages, if lined up, would stretch for 100 kilometers.

(China Daily June 28, 2004)