Paper making was improved in about the year 105 AD by Cai Lun, who was an imperial court official of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Before the invention of later paper, ancient people from all over the world wrote words on many kinds of natural materials such as leaves (by Indians), animal skins (Europeans maybe), rocks, and earthen plates （by Mesopotamians). Chinese people used bamboo or wooden strips , tortoise shells, or shoulder blades of an ox to record important events. Books written on bamboo strips were very heavy and took up lots of space.
Later, Chinese people invented a kind of paper made of silk, which was much lighter than the strips. The paper was called bo. It was so expensive that it could only be used in the imperial court or governments.
To make a cheaper kind of paper Cai Lun used old rags, fishing nets, hemp waste ，mulberry fibers, and other bast fibers to make a new kind of paper. To make a sheet of paper, these substances were repeatedly soaked, pounded, washed, boiled, srained, and bleached. This kind of paper was much lighter and cheaper than what came before. And it was more suitable for writing on with a Chinese brush.
The technique of making paper spread to nearby Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and so on. From the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Chinese papermaking techniques spread all over the world which made a great contribution to the civilization of the world, alongside movable type printing.
The emergence and development of paper making and printing Techniques, leaving more records of ordinary people in history and enriching our understanding of history. It also has an indelible impact on the printing of printed paper napkins,printed paper plates and printed cups on paper.
Post time: Jul-10-2023