Explain the reason of shifting of …

The main reasons favoring shift from hand printing to mechanical printing in China are the following:

1. The imperial state of China had the bureaucracy. Since the selection of the officials was based on the competitive exams, the state published books for such exams. Over a course of time, the number of applicants increased, and hand printing could not serve the increasing demand for copies.  

2. Printing in the 17th century China was no longer limited to the scholar or the officials, but it was also used by merchants, to print their daily entries.

3. Besides, reading during this time grew a leisure activity. Almost all the sections of the society began reading poetries, autobiographies, romantic plays etc.  

4. This new reading culture was followed by a modern technology. In the late 19th century, Western publication methods and mechanical presses were introduced in China as a result of the establishment of Western powers outposts in China.  

5. Thereon, Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, provisioning to the western school. A gradual shift could now be seen in the method of printing (from hand printing to machine printing).