The concept of publication is scientifically defined to set a starting point for the object and domain of publishing history. To date, there are two different concepts of publication: the two element concept, which is defined according to duplication and distribution, standing for publishing activity in early days, and the threeelement concept, which is defined based on edition, duplication and distribution, involving a sophisticated conception of publishing activity. A study of the history of publication should be based on the threeelement concept, investigating all twoelementinvolved publishing phenomena in history and examining the historical course of occurrence and growth of publishing activity. In this connection, a Chinese history of publication can be roughly divided into four different periods, that is, the period of growth in the prQin times, the period of transcription between the Han and the Tang Dynasty, the period of carvedstereotype printing between the Song and the lateQing Dynasty, and the period of modern publication from the lateQing to present days.

a Chinese history of publication; publication; edition; book