Smallest book in China Founded

A man surnamed Xu shows a tiny book used to cheat in exams in ancient China when he brought it to a treasure evaluation event in Qingdao on Sunday, July 5, 2009. The tiny, matchbox-like book is 6.5-centimeters long and 4.3-centimeters wide and contains nearly 140 thousand words. The printing technology required to create such a book was highly difficult. [Photo: CFP]

The smallest book in China has reportedly been found in Qingdao, a coastal city in eastern China's Shandong Province.

The mini-book, 6.5 centimetres long and 4.3 centimetre wide belongs to a man surnamed Xu, who brought it to a treasure evaluation event held in that city on Sunday. The book is so tiny that it can put into a match box, according to a report by Qingdao Morning News.

The 160-page book containing 140,000 Chinese characters is a copy of ancient Chinese classic works, which was once used to cheat in exams during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Experts say the printing technique for such a small book has long been lost to the world.

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