In fight to save the old, modern machines are an ally

Unlike many woodblock carvers who promote engraved block printing by teaching it to others, Wang Lu thinks the best way to raise awareness of the old craft and thereby help ensure its survival is to give the uninitiated some hands-on experience of it.

Recently Wang organized an event in the Beijing Ancient Coin Museum in which he presented woodblocks engraved with the pattern of banknotes used in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and made ink and brushes available to museum visitors so they could get a feel of what printing the old money was like.

"People were excited about becoming 'rich' with the 'money' they printed themselves," Wang says. Parents of about 15 children took them to take part in the do-It-yourself money printing.