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When was paper reported to the Han throne and what materials had been used for writing before it?

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Map showing the Han Empire's territory around 100 BCE, shaded in orange, covering much of eastern China and extending westward. The map also marks the boundary of modern China and highlights the Great Wall running along the northern frontier, built for protection against the Huns. Major rivers and the capital, Chang'an (Xi'an), are labeled. — Han dynasty Map showing the extent of the Han empire c. 100 bce.

In 105 CE, officials reported the manufacture of paper to the Han throne, a development traditionally credited to the court official Cai Lun. While archaeological evidence suggests that paper existed for more than a century prior to this report, it did not fully replace earlier writing materials for several hundred years.123

Before the widespread adoption of paper, the primary materials used for writing included:

Wooden strips: These were commonly used for official documents but were noted for being bulky and fragile.23
Silk: This served as a principal writing surface, though it was significantly more expensive than the paper eventually produced from materials such as macerated tree bark, hemp waste, old rags, and fishnets.412

Would you like to learn more about how these writing materials influenced the development of Chinese literature or recordkeeping during the Han dynasty?