A piece of paper is popular, passed down through the ages. In the long river of human history, papermaking, as a unique cultural heritage, has been enduring and new for a long time. For thousands of years, papermaking has witnessed the changes of the times and carried the treasures of human civilization. From ancient handmade papermaking to modern industrial production, papermaking has continuously innovated and developed, making important contributions to the progress of human civilization. Papermaking has also become an indispensable part of human civilization.
China is one of the earliest countries in the world to raise silkworms and weave silk. When ancient people used the bleaching method to make silk, some residual fibers would be left on the bamboo mats. When the number of bleaching cycles increases, these residual fibers accumulate into a thin layer of fibers, which can be used for writing after drying. The amount of by-products of this kind of floating fluff is not large, and it is called “Hejian” or “Fangxu” in ancient books. The origin of Chinese papermaking is closely related to silk fibers, providing important inspiration and foundation for the invention of papermaking.
Before the invention of papermaking in China, oracle bones, bamboo slips, and silk were ancient materials used for writing and recording. But oracle bones and bamboo slips were relatively bulky, and Qin Shi Huang had to spend a whole truckload just reading memorials in one day; Although silk is lightweight, it is very expensive and not suitable for writing.
In the Han Dynasty, due to the rapid development of its economy and culture, oracle bones and bamboo slips could no longer meet the needs of development, which led to the improvement of writing tools – paper was invented.
Eunuch Cai Lun made significant improvements to papermaking based on the experience of his predecessors. Paper is made from raw materials such as bark, hemp, cloth, and fish nets, which are soaked in water, chopped, washed, steamed, rinsed, pounded, mixed with water to form a suspension slurry, scooped up pulp, and dried. The true paper has appeared for the first time, which has the advantages of easy availability of raw materials, low price, and stable quality compared to previous writing media.
The widespread use of paper also promoted the prosperity of ancient Chinese culture, with books, documents, calligraphy and painting being produced and passed down in large quantities, leaving a rich cultural heritage for future generations. And it holds an important position in Chinese history and has made significant contributions to the development of human civilization.
