How did Cai Lun improve the process of making paper?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Red origami crane with outstretched wings and pointed beak, displayed against a solid black background. — origami An origami crane.

While Cai Lun is traditionally credited with the invention of paper, contemporary research indicates that paper existed in China as early as the Western Han period, roughly 300 years before his time.1

Cai Lun, a Chinese court official, is recognized for significantly improving the papermaking process around 105 CE. He introduced the concept of forming sheets of paper using a mixture of macerated tree bark, hemp waste, old rags, and fishnets. This method provided a writing surface that was superior in quality to the silk previously used, while also being much more abundant and less expensive to produce. His innovation facilitated the widespread adoption of paper throughout China, eventually spreading the technology to the rest of the world.23