Cai Lun and the Invention of Paper

What happened

Around 105 CE Cai Lun, an official at the Han imperial workshops, presented a method for making paper from macerated tree bark, hemp, rags, and old fishing nets, pressed and dried into sheets. Cheap and light, it replaced bamboo strips and silk as a writing surface.

Why it matters

Paper is counted among China's 'Four Great Inventions.' It transformed record-keeping, administration, and learning, and, spreading slowly westward, would eventually reshape the whole world's access to the written word.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Paper in Ancient China · Reputable source