Tags: rare books | sutra | Yuan dynasty

This book (金剛般若波羅蜜經) is a woodblock print by the Zifu Temple on Zhongxing Road in Hubei Province. It was done in the first year of the Yuan Dynasty’s Chih-cheng period (1341) and is the world's oldest existing colored wood print. The scripture was printed in cinnabar red and the annotation in black; a dazzling feat. The book has about 40 pieces of paper, 200 pages; it was bound in the folding form. At the end of the book is a red and black painting depicting sutra writing.

National Central Library Chinese Rare Books Collection Digitization Project