Top 10 greatest inventions of ancient China

By Lin Liyao
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, March 4, 2011
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   Papermaking

 


Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) successfully invented the world's first batch of paper using fish nets, tree bark, bits of rope and rags. [xinhuanet.com]

Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) successfully invented the world's first batch of paper using fish nets, tree bark, bits of rope and rags. [xinhuanet.com]

It is known to all that China was the first country in the world to make proper paper. The invention of papermaking is one of China's significant contributions to the spread and the development of human civilization. According to research, paper was first made during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-9 AD). Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) successfully invented the world's first batch of paper using fish nets, tree bark, bits of rope and rags.


Before paper was invented, the ancient Chinese carved characters on pottery, animal bones and stones, cast them in bronzes, or wrote them on bamboo or wooden strips and silk fabric. These materials, however, were either too heavy or two expensive for widespread use. The invention and use of paper brought a revolution in writing and paved the way for the invention of printing technology.



 

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