 Informal essay and travel writing was another highlight . Xu Xiake ( 1587 – 1641 ) , a travel literature author , published his Travel Diaries in 404 @,@ 000 written characters , with information on everything from local geography to mineralogy . The first reference to the publishing of private newspapers in Beijing was in 1582 ; by 1638 the Beijing Gazette switched from using woodblock print to movable type printing . The new literary field of the moral guide to business ethics was developed during the late Ming period , for the readership of the merchant class . 
