1. Relevant knowledge and short stories about Cai Lun

Relevant knowledge and short stories about Cai Lun 1. Short stories about Cai Lun’s papermaking

1. Reasons for cultural people It’s just your sense of responsibility, your own status and knowledge are also important.

Cai Lun was an honest and prudent person who cared about national interests. He had "offended Yan Yan several times" and was responsible for current affairs. Be diligent, studious, and work hard.

In the fourth year of Yongyuan (92), after Cai Lun was appointed Shang Fang Ling, he took advantage of his position and often visited rural workshops. He saw that after silkworm women reeled silk and bleached the catkins, there was still a short layer of bamboo mat left The wool and silk wadding, which looked like silk when peeled off, could be used for writing. Inspired by this, he collected bark, waste hemp, rags, old fishing nets and other raw materials, and used them in the palace workshop to file, boil, soak, pound, copy, etc. method, tried plant fiber papermaking, and finally created plant fiber paper. In the first year of Yuanxing (105), he wrote down the papermaking process and methods in a memorial, together with the plant fiber paper he created, and reported it to Emperor He of the Han Dynasty. Emperor He greatly praised it, and Cai Lun's papermaking skills quickly spread.

People call this kind of paper "Caihou paper", and "everyone in the country follows it". 2. Difficulties. In particular, bamboo slips and slippers are heavy, difficult to transport, and difficult to spread.

3. Story Cai Lun’s hometown is located in the Laishui Basin, a tributary of the Xiangshui River (today’s Xiangjiang River) south of the Yangtze River. It is the hometown of rice and grain. He was born into an ordinary farmer's family and followed his elders in farming since childhood.

After Han Zhang Emperor Liu ■ (AD 56-88) came to the throne, he sent people to various counties and counties to select smart young children to enter the palace. In the 18th year of Yongping (AD 75), Cai Lun was elected to the Luoyang Palace as an eunuch at the age of about 15.

At that time, young eunuchs were required to learn calligraphy and reading rituals. Cai Lun was appointed as Xiaohuangmen in the first year of Jianchu (76 AD) because of his excellent results. After that, as the Huangmen Minister, he was in charge of conveying official affairs inside and outside the palace and guiding the kings to meet and sit down.

When Cai Lun first entered the palace, Liu Qing, the emperor's eldest son born to Emperor Zhang's concubine Song Guiren, was established as the prince. The following year, Liang Guiren gave birth to the prince Liu Zhao (79-105 AD).

Because Empress Dou had no children, she instigated Cai Lun to frame Song Guiren for "stealing evil and charming ways" and forced her to commit suicide. Prince Liu Qing was demoted to the title of King of Qinghe. Empress Dou also ordered people to submit "flying letters" (anonymous letters) to frame Liang Guiren, and forcibly kidnapped Liu Zhao as his adopted son and established him as the prince. Liang Guiren was worried about his death.

After the death of Emperor Zhang (AD 88), Liu Zhao ascended to the throne as Emperor He at the age of 10, and Empress Dowager Dou came to rule (AD 89-97). Because Cai Lun worked hard for Empress Dou, he was promoted to the rank of regular attendant. He served the young emperor Liu Zhao and served as advisors and in charge of documents. He passed on all edicts or memorials issued by officials, and was able to enter and leave the palace.

This position has great power and can participate in military and state affairs. The salary is two thousand dan, which is the same as that of Jiuqing. This is the beginning of eunuch intervention in state affairs in Chinese history.

Empress Dowager Dou ignored the young emperor and became more and more arrogant. She died in the ninth year of Yongping (AD 97) and took over the government personally with the emperor, abolishing her title of empress dowager. In the fourteenth year of Yongyuan (AD 102), the emperor appointed Deng Sui (AD 80-121) as his queen, and Cai Lun immediately joined Queen Deng.

Seeing that Empress Deng liked to write and write on paper, he asked himself to serve as Shang Fangling. Shang Fangling was an official of the Shaofu, with a salary of 600 shi. He was in charge of the royal swords and other utensils, which was not commensurate with the high position of a regular servant. Cai Lun was favored by Deng, so he deigned to take up this position.

In the first year of Yuanxing (AD 105), Emperor He died, and a hundred-day-old baby born to Empress Deng came to the throne. The young emperor died again in less than two years, and Empress Deng appointed her 13-year-old nephew Liu Hu (AD 94-125) to the throne as Emperor An.

Liu Hu was the son of Liu Qing, King of Qinghe. In the early days of his accession to the throne (AD 105-121), Empress Dowager Deng was in charge of the affairs, so Cai Lun was reused. Not only was he a regular attendant, but he was also named Longtinghou by the Queen Mother, with a settlement of 300 households, and his fiefdom was in today's Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province. From then on, he entered the ranks of the nobility.

Shortly after being granted the title of Marquis, Cai Lun was promoted to Changle Taipu in about the fifth to sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty (118-119 AD), which was equivalent to the great Qianqiu. From then on, he became the chief personal attendant of Empress Dowager Deng.

His special status allowed him not only to be close to the emperor at any time, but also to the queen and the empress dowager, and was flattered by the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty. Just when his power was at its peak, Empress Dowager Deng died in the first year of Jianguang (AD 121).

After Emperor An came to power, because Cai Lun was ordered by Empress Dou to participate in the persecution of his imperial grandmother Song Guiren to death and deprive his father Liu Qing of the right to inherit the throne, he ordered the court to interrogate Cai Lun. Knowing that he was guilty of death, he committed suicide.

Cai Lun served as an eunuch in the inner court for 46 years. He rose through the ranks by serving four young emperors and taking refuge with two empress dowagers. He was not glorious in this regard, but when he was also in charge of Shangfang, he was able to leave his name in future generations because of his actions to promote the development of handicrafts.

When Cai Lun was in charge of Shang Fang, he "oversaw the production of secret swords and other instruments, all of which were made with precision and precision to serve as the law for future generations." "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Cai Lun" This passage in the Book of the Later Han is evidenced by modern archaeological excavations.

The quality, performance and appearance of the artifacts produced at that time were truly exquisite and can be imitated by future generations. It shows that Cai Lun also devoted himself to his duties when he was also a work officer.

This job made Shang Fanling interested in industrial technology. Whenever he had free time, he would close the door and decline guests, go to the site to conduct technical investigations, and mastered relevant industrial technology knowledge. His innovative spirit played a significant role in the development of metal smelting, casting, forging and machinery manufacturing processes at that time.

The steel knives made at this time were made of fried iron and made into steel after being forged many times. But his greatest contribution to craft technology was in papermaking.

In the pre-Qin period, China used bamboo slips, wooden slips and silk to write chronicles. However, the bamboo slips were bulky and silk fabrics were expensive, making them inconvenient to use.

With the development of social economy and culture, new materials that are cheap and easy to obtain are needed to replace them, and people have made various explorations for this purpose.

2. The story of Cai Lun

Cai Lun was born in Guiyang (Leiyang, Hengyang) in the Eastern Han Dynasty, with the courtesy name Jingzhong. During the reign of Emperor He, he served as a regular attendant and was once in charge of Shang Fang Ling, who was in charge of manufacturing imperial utensils. In the first year of Emperor An's Yuan Dynasty (AD 114), he was granted the title of Marquis of Longting. He summarized the experience of using hemp fiber papermaking since the Western Han Dynasty, improved the papermaking technology, and used bark, hemp heads, rags, and old fishing nets as raw materials to make paper. In the first year of Yuanxing (AD 105), he reported to the imperial court, sometimes saying "Cai "Waiting Paper". "Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Biography of Cai Lun": "Since ancient times, deeds have mostly been compiled with bamboo slips; those made of silk are called paper. The silk is expensive and simple and heavy, and is not convenient for people. Lun is a creative idea, using tree skin, hemp and hemp. His head, cloth, and fishing net were used as paper." Later generations passed him on as the inventor of papermaking in my country.

Cai Lun lived in the Eastern Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor He. He was from Guiyang, which is now the area around Laiyang, Hunan. Decades before Cai Lun was born, a large-scale peasant uprising occurred in our country. This uprising hit feudal rule to a certain extent and promoted the development of social productivity. From the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the period of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, agriculture and handicrafts continued to progress. The development of social economy has put forward higher requirements for paper production.

Cai Lun worked as a eunuch in the imperial government since he was a child, holding a lower position in the Xiaohuangmen. Later, he gained the trust of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty and was promoted to the rank of regular servant, participating in the country's confidential affairs. He also served as Shang Fanling, an official in charge of palace supplies. He supervised craftsmen making swords and other various instruments for the royal family, so he often came into contact with craftsmen. The superb skills and creative spirit of the working people had a great influence on him.

At that time, Cai Lun saw that it was inconvenient for everyone to write. Bamboo slips and wooden slips were too bulky, silk was expensive, and silk and cotton paper could not be mass-produced. They all had shortcomings. So, he studied ways to improve papermaking.

Cai Lun summarized the experience of artificial paper in the past and led the craftsmen to make paper using raw materials such as bark hemp heads, rags and broken fish nets. They first cut or cut bark, hemp heads, rags, broken fish nets and other items, soak them in water for a long time, then pound them into a paste, maybe steam them, and then spread them into thin sheets on a mat. Leave it in the sun to dry and it becomes paper.

The paper made by this method is light and thin, very suitable for writing, and has been welcomed by people. In the first year of Yuanxing of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 105), Cai Lun reported this major achievement to Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, and Emperor He of the Han Dynasty praised him. Since then, this method has been used to make paper all over the country.

Papermaking technology is very complex and cannot be imagined by one person out of thin air; in fact, before Cai Lun, working people had already used plant fibers to make paper. Therefore, we cannot say that Cai Lun invented paper, but we should also affirm that Cai Lun made a great contribution to improving papermaking technology.

Cai Lun led craftsmen to improve papermaking methods and create higher quality paper. He proposed using bark, hemp heads, rags, and broken fish nets as raw materials, which was also a major advancement in papermaking technology. These raw materials come from a wide range of sources, are cheap, and some are recycled waste, so they can be produced in large quantities.

As for using bark as raw material, it is a new discovery. Later generations used wood pulp to make paper, which was inspired by Cai Lun's use of tree bark.

Cai Lun succeeded in improving the papermaking method, which was a major event in the history of human culture. From then on, mass production of paper became possible, creating material conditions for the printing of Shuji in the future.

After Cai Lun, others continued to improve his methods. About eighty years after Cai Lun's death (the last year of the Eastern Han Dynasty), another papermaking expert named Zuo Bo emerged. The paper he created was uniform in thickness, fine in texture, and bright in color. At that time, people called this kind of paper "Zuo Bo Paper". It is a pity that the raw materials and manufacturing methods used by Zuo Bo were not recorded in history.

3. The story of Cai Lun’s invention of papermaking

Cai Lun’s hometown is located in the Laishui Basin, a tributary of the Xiangshui River (today’s Xiangjiang River) south of the Yangtze River. It is the hometown of rice and grain. He was born into an ordinary farmer's family and followed his elders in farming since childhood. After Han Zhang Emperor Liu ■ (AD 56-88) came to the throne, he sent people to various counties and counties to select smart young children to enter the palace. In the 18th year of Yongping (AD 75), Cai Lun was elected to the Luoyang Palace as an eunuch at the age of about 15. At that time, young eunuchs were required to learn calligraphy and reading rituals. Cai Lun was appointed to Xiaohuangmen in the first year of Jianchu (AD 76) because of his excellent results. After that, as the Huangmen Minister, he was in charge of conveying official affairs inside and outside the palace and guiding the kings to meet and sit down. When Cai Lun first entered the palace, Liu Qing, the emperor's eldest son born to Emperor Zhang's concubine Song Guiren, was established as the prince. The following year, Liang Guiren gave birth to the prince Liu Zhao (79-105 AD). Because Empress Dou had no children, she ordered Cai Lun to frame Song Guiren for "bringing evil and charming ways" and forced her to commit suicide. Prince Liu Qing was demoted to King Qinghe. Empress Dou also ordered people to submit "flying letters" (anonymous letters) to frame Liang Guiren, and forcibly kidnapped Liu Zhao as his adopted son and established him as the prince. Liang Guiren was worried about his death. After the death of Emperor Zhang (AD 88), Liu Zhao ascended to the throne as Emperor He at the age of 10, and Empress Dowager Dou came to rule (AD 89-97). Because Cai Lun worked hard for Empress Dou, he was promoted to the rank of regular attendant. He served around the young emperor Liu Zhao, serving as advisors and handling documents. He passed on all edicts or memorials issued by officials, and he was able to enter and leave the palace. This position has great power and can participate in military and state affairs. The salary is two thousand dan, which is the same as that of Jiuqing. This is the beginning of eunuch interference in state affairs in Chinese history.

Empress Dowager Dou ignored the young emperor and became more and more arrogant. She died in the ninth year of Yongping (AD 97) and took over the government personally with the emperor, abolishing her title of empress dowager. In the fourteenth year of Yongyuan (AD 102), the emperor appointed Deng Sui (AD 80-121) as his queen, and Cai Lun immediately joined Queen Deng. Seeing that Empress Deng liked to write and write on paper, he asked himself to serve as Shang Fangling. Shang Fangling was an official of the Shaofu, with a salary of 600 shi. He was in charge of the royal swords and other utensils, which was not commensurate with the high position of a regular servant. Cai Lun was favored by Deng, so he condescended to take up this position. In the first year of Yuanxing (AD 105), Emperor He died, and a hundred-day-old baby born to Empress Deng came to the throne. The young emperor died again in less than two years, and Empress Deng appointed her 13-year-old nephew Liu Hu (AD 94-125) to the throne as Emperor An. Liu Hu was the son of Liu Qing, King of Qinghe. In the early days of his accession to the throne (AD 105-121), Empress Dowager Deng was in charge of the affairs, so Cai Lun was again given great importance. Not only was he a regular attendant, but he was also named Longtinghou by the Queen Mother, with a settlement of 300 households, and his fiefdom was in today's Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province. From then on, he entered the ranks of the nobility. Not long after he was granted the title of Marquis, Cai Lun was promoted to Changle Taipu in about the fifth to sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty (118-119 AD), which was equivalent to the great Qianqiu. From then on, he became the chief personal attendant of Empress Dowager Deng. His special status allowed him not only to be close to the emperor at any time, but also to the queen and the empress dowager, and he was flattered by the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty. Just when his power was at its peak, Empress Dowager Deng died in the first year of Jianguang (AD 121). After Emperor An came to power, because Cai Lun was ordered by Empress Dou to participate in the persecution of his imperial grandmother Song Guiren to death and deprive his father Liu Qing of the right to inherit the throne, he ordered the imperial court to interrogate Cai Lun. Knowing that he was guilty of death, he committed suicide. Cai Lun served as an eunuch in the inner court for 46 years. He rose through the ranks by serving four young emperors and taking refuge with two empress dowagers. He was honored among the nine ministers and ranked among the nobles, but he died tragically. He was not glorious in this regard, but when he was also in charge of Shangfang, he was able to leave his name in future generations because of his actions to promote the development of handicrafts. When Cai Lun was in charge of Shang Fang, he "oversaw the production of secret swords and other instruments, all of which were made with precision and precision, as a law for future generations." "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Cai Lun" This passage in the Book of the Later Han is evidenced by modern archaeological excavations. The quality, performance and appearance of the utensils made at that time were truly exquisite and could be imitated by future generations. It shows that Cai Lun also devoted himself to his duties when he was also a work officer. Shang Fanling's work made him interested in industrial technology. Whenever he had free time, he closed the door and declined guests, went to the site to conduct technical investigations in person, and mastered relevant industrial technology knowledge.

His innovative spirit played a significant role in the development of metal smelting, casting, forging and machinery manufacturing processes at that time. The steel knives made at this time were made of fried iron and were forged hundreds of times to make steel. But his greatest contribution to craft technology was in papermaking. In the pre-Qin period, China used bamboo slips, wooden slips and silk to write chronicles. However, the bamboo slips were bulky and silk fabrics were expensive, making them inconvenient to use. With the development of social economy and culture, new materials that are cheap and easy to obtain are needed to replace them, and people have made various explorations for this purpose.

4. Ask for information about Cai Lun

Cai Lun

Cai Lun, courtesy name Jingzhong, was born in Songyang, Guiyang County (now Songyang, Hunan). He died in the first year of Jianguang (AD 121) in the fourth year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 61). Cai Lun has been farming with his father since he was a child. He is smart and likeable. In the eighteenth year of Yongle (AD 75), Cai Lun was elected to the palace at the age of about 15. He was literate and had excellent grades. In 88 AD, he served around the Young Emperor (He Emperor) and participated in state secrets. His salary was two thousand dan, and his status was the same as that of Jiu Qing. This is where eunuchs' interference in state affairs began in Chinese history. During this period, he summarized the papermaking experience since the Western Han Dynasty, improved the papermaking process, and refined high-quality paper using bark, rags (linen cloth), hemp heads, fishnets and other raw materials. The paper produced under his supervision was called "Caihou Paper". He committed suicide in the first year of Jianguang (AD 121).

Cai Lun served as an official for 46 years in his life. At one time, he was honored as the Nine Ministers and had a prominent status. When he was in charge of Shang Fang, he often visited the site to conduct technical investigations. He was very innovative and played a great role in promoting the development of metal smelting, processing, and machinery manufacturing technology at that time. He was called a scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but his The biggest contribution is mainly in papermaking, and he is an innovator in papermaking technology. According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Cai Lun", Cai Lun once "supervised the production of secret plans and various instruments, all of which were made with precision and precision, and became the law of later generations." Therefore, Cai Lun became a key figure in promoting the development of papermaking in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Cai Lun used his position to observe and come into contact with production practices, and coupled with his own clever innovation, he played a significant role in promoting the development of metal smelting, casting, forging, machine manufacturing processes and handicrafts at that time.

Papermaking is one of the "four great inventions" of ancient Chinese science and technology (compass, papermaking, printing, gunpowder). It is a very valuable contribution made by the Chinese nation to world civilization. It has promoted the spread and exchange of world science and culture and profoundly affected the process of world history.

In ancient China, we relied on tortoise shells, animal bones, bamboo slips, wooden tablets, gold and stone, and silk to record things. In the early Western Han Dynasty (206 BC to 25 AD), waste hemp rope heads and broken Hemp plant fiber paper made from cloth. After the Eastern Han Dynasty established its capital in Luoyang, Cai Lun felt deeply that "silk was expensive, simple and heavy, and not convenient for people", so he decided to make better paper than that of the Western Han Dynasty. He summarized the technical experience of previous generations and contemporaries in making hemp paper and organized the production of high-quality hemp paper. Under his promotion and organization, by the Eastern Han Dynasty at the beginning of the second century AD, China had completed the papermaking innovation technology of great significance. Another contribution of Cai Lun to papermaking was the exploration and promotion of leather paper manufacturing technology. Linen paper and vellum paper have been the two pillars of Chinese paper for 1,200 years since the Han Dynasty. Chinese culture has relied on the supply of these two major paper types for its rapid development. From the third to fourth centuries AD, paper had basically replaced backward bamboo slips and became the only writing material in China, effectively promoting the spread and development of Chinese science and culture.

In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 117), Cai Lun was responsible for supervising the compilation and editing of the classics. After the revision was completed, the copied copies were issued to various local officials, thus forming a large-scale system of copying Confucian classics on paper. *, making paper books the most effective tool for spreading culture. Therefore, it can be said that Cai Lun made certain contributions to the reform and promotion of papermaking. Chinese papermaking technology began in the Western Han Dynasty and was improved and promoted during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Cai Lun was the core figure who promoted the development of papermaking during this historical stage. He is known as a technological innovator, organizer, advocate and promoter, and his historical status should be affirmed. . Cai Lun is called an ancient Chinese scientist by historians.

5. Paper-making master

Cai Lun (62 ~ 121 years), a native of Guiyang.

Regarding the origin of papermaking, historian Fan Ye's statement in "Book of the Later Han? Biography of Cai Lun" was mostly followed in the past. It was believed that paper was invented by Cai Lun, the eunuch of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the first year of Yuanxing, Emperor He of the Han Dynasty (AD 105 years) invented. Cai Lund became a eunuch in the palace in the 18th year of Emperor Ming's reign in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 75).

Emperor He ascended the throne and was promoted to the rank of Zhongchang Shi. In the ninth year of Yongyuan (AD 97), he also served as the Shaofu Shang Fang Ling. Shangfang is the royal craftsmanship workshop, specializing in supervising the manufacture of various royal utensils.

At that time, although papermaking had been invented, paper may only be circulated among the people. Due to quality problems, paper is not considered elegant, and many literati are not optimistic about paper.

Cai Lun saw the prospect of paper replacing bamboo slips and silk, and took advantage of Shangfang's favorable conditions to reform papermaking technology and create a batch of fine-quality paper. Cai Lun carefully summarized the experience of his predecessors. He believed that by expanding the sources of papermaking raw materials, improving papermaking technology, and improving paper quality, paper could be accepted by everyone.

Cai Lun first used bark to make paper. Bark is a much richer raw material than hemp, which can greatly increase paper production. The lignin, pectin and protein contained in the bark are much higher than those of hemp, so degumming and pulping of the bark is more difficult than that of hemp.

This prompted Cai Lun to improve papermaking technology. In the Western Han Dynasty, lime water was used to make pulp, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, plant ash water was used to make pulp. The plant ash water is highly alkaline, which is beneficial to improving the quality of pulp.

In the first year of Yuanxing (AD 105), Cai Lun presented a batch of high-quality paper he produced in Shang to Emperor Liu Zhao of the Han Dynasty. Emperor He of the Han Dynasty praised his talent and immediately ordered the world to adopt it. In this way, Cai Lun's papermaking method quickly spread throughout the country.

In 114 AD, Cai Lun was named "Longtinghou", and the paper he made was called "Caihou Paper" by the people. The "Han Dynasty Papermaking Process Flow Chart" vividly reproduces the papermaking technology of the Han Dynasty. Raw materials such as hemp and rags are soaked in water, chopped, washed, steamed, rinsed, pounded, and water is added to prepare a suspended slurry. Pulp, dried, becomes paper.

During the reign of Emperor An of the Han Dynasty, eunuchs and relatives took turns in power, competing against each other. It was difficult for Cai Lun to cope with this political struggle and he committed suicide by taking poison in 121 AD.

The invention of papermaking is one of the greatest inventions in ancient China and an outstanding achievement in the history of human civilization. The emergence of paper is the foundation of human civilization. As a new information carrier, it first appeared in China, making the civilization of the Han Dynasty flourish more than other civilizations.

6. The story of Cai Lun’s papermaking: 1. Why papermaking is necessary, the difficulties of papermaking, story

Since ancient times, words have been written or carved on bamboo pieces, and then compiled into books. , the kind of silk used for writing is called paper.

Silk was expensive and bamboo slips were too bulky and inconvenient for people to use. Cai Lun then figured out a way to make paper from tree bark, hemp heads, rags, and fishing nets.

In the first year of Yuanxing (the reign title of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty), he reported to the emperor, and the emperor praised his talent. From then on, all paper made by him was used, so the world called it "Caihou Paper". In his early years, Cai Lun and one of his eunuchs named Zhang Zhi went to the Huaigou River in Baishui to celebrate Zhang's father's birthday. They found children playing with the retting objects on the water using wooden poles. When he saw the retting objects leaving the water, It dries quickly and rubs it with your hands. The texture becomes soft and light, and can be used to write text. When I returned to the palace the next day, I used black paint to write a word on each piece of retting for the emperor to inspect. The emperor was very happy. He sent Cai Lun back to Huaigou River and lived in Zhang Zhi's house. He picked up linen, cloth, cotton wool, bark and other retting materials everywhere, dug ponds for retting, and finally made a product after beating, mixing, settling, and repeated tests. An ideal writing material, because this invention was discovered in Zhang Zhi's hometown, this kind of writing material was named "paper", commonly known as "paper". There are still ruins of Cai Lun's paper making in this area.

7. Cai Lun Papermaking

In the first year of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Emperor Yuanxing (AD 105), Cai Lun invented silk fabrics in Luoyang on the basis of summarizing the experience of his predecessors in making silk woven crystals. Using bark, broken fishnets, rags, hemp heads, etc. as raw materials, plant fiber paper suitable for writing was made, making paper a commonly used writing material.

The name of Cai Lun, the inventor of paper, may be little known. Compared with his major inventions, the extent to which he has been ignored in the West is indeed staggering. Some large encyclopedias do not even mention him in a short article, and his name is rarely mentioned in standard history textbooks. mentioned.

Since the importance of paper is obvious, the lack of historical data about Cai Lun may lead people to believe that his character is purely fictional. However, careful study clearly shows that Cai Lun is indeed a real person.

He worked as an official in the Chinese imperial palace, and around 105 he presented samples of paper to the emperor. Chinese records of Cai Lun's invention appear in the official history books of the Han Dynasty. The records are detailed and credible, without any mystery or legend.

Chinese people always attribute the invention of paper to Cai Lun. His name is a household name in China, known to every woman and child. Not much is known about Cai Lun's life.

Chinese history books mention that he was a eunuch, and that the emperor was so pleased with his invention that he promoted him to fame and fortune. However, he fell into decline due to his participation in the palace coup.

Some history books describe that as soon as Cai Lun was dismissed, he put on the most beautiful clothes and drank deadly poison. Paper has been widely used in China since the second century AD. Within a few hundred years, the Chinese were exporting paper to other parts of Asia.

For a long time, they kept their papermaking technology secret. However, some Chinese paper workers were captured by the Japanese in 751, and soon Samarkand and Baghdad had paper industries.

Papermaking technology gradually spread throughout the entire *** world. In the 12th century, Europeans learned papermaking technology from the Japanese.

The use of paper gradually became widespread. After Gutenberg invented modern printing, paper replaced parchment as the main writing material in the West. It goes without saying that the use of paper is very common today.

It’s hard to imagine what the world would be like without paper. In China before Cai Lun, most books were made of bamboo. Such books were obviously extremely valuable.