Wang Zhen, a magistrate of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), is another important person who made a great contribution in printing history. He commissioned a craftsman to carve more than 30,000 wooden characters, and in 1298 he printed his book Jing De Xian Zhi(A County Annual About Jing De), which is the first book printed from the movable type.

He is also credited with the invention of horizontal compartmented cases that revolved about a vertical axis, making it easier to handle the movable type pieces. Wang Chen's innovation was not followed up in China.