"In ancient times writing was generally on bamboo or on pieces of silk, which were then called zhi. But silk being expensive and bamboo heavy, these were not convenient to use. Cai Lun then initiated the idea of making paper from bark, hemp, rags, and fishnets."
— Cai Lun
In Ancient Times Writing Was Generally
In ancient times writing was generally on bamboo or on pieces of silk, which were then called zhi. But silk being expensive and bamboo heavy, these were not convenient to use. Cai Lun then initiated the idea of making paper from bark, hemp, rags, and fishnets.
About this quote
This passage is drawn from the biography of Cai Lun in volume 78 of the Hou Hanshu (Book of the Later Han), compiled by the historian Fan Ye in the 5th century CE. Cai Lun, a court eunuch official under Emperor He of Han, presented his improved papermaking process to the emperor in 105 CE, receiving imperial recognition. Although paper existed in rudimentary forms before Cai, his contribution was to standardize and scale production using bark, hemp, rags, and fishnets — making paper cheap and widely available. The resulting material, known as "Cai Hou paper," spread across Asia and eventually to the Islamic world and Europe, transforming literacy and the transmission of knowledge worldwide.
Source
Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu), Chapter 78, biography of Cai Lun (5th century)
