The Chinese invention that came before Gutenberg's printing press in Germany was woodblock printing. Woodblock printing was developed in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and later spread to other parts of East Asia. This technique involved carving text or images onto wooden blocks, which were then inked and pressed onto paper to create multiple copies of a document or image. While woodblock printing was an important precursor to modern printing methods, Gutenberg's invention of the movable-type printing press revolutionized the printing industry by allowing for more efficient and versatile printing of texts.
