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Before the popularization of paper, the recording and dissemination of knowledge was a luxury. Bamboo slips were cumbersome and silk was expensive, making them inaccessible to ordinary people.
It was not until the Eastern Han Dynasty that an official named Cai Lun stepped in to make improvements, and the emergence of cheap paper quietly shifted the gears of ancient civilization. What exactly happened behind the scenes?
Bamboo slips were cumbersome and silk was too expensive.
Imagine that it would take several carts of bamboo slips to hold a single book. Officials reviewing official documents and scholars writing books and making statements all relied on this heavy "hard currency".
It is not easy to move books around, and it takes a lot of time and effort to look them up. The saying that books are so numerous that they could break the backs of oxen is no exaggeration. This greatly restricts the speed and breadth of information circulation.
Another option is silk, which is indeed light. But the problem is that it is too expensive! Ordinary families simply cannot afford it and it is basically exclusive to the royal family and nobility.
Against such a backdrop, the dissemination of knowledge and information inevitably carried a strong elitist tint. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to access written records.
Who would have thought that the change would come from within the imperial court? Cai Lun, a eunuch, stepped forward. He did not invent papermaking out of thin air; early forms of plant-fiber paper already existed. But he keenly perceived the drawbacks of the existing writing materials.
Cai Lun's key contribution lay in innovation and improvement. He summarized the experiences of his predecessors and boldly experimented with using waste materials such as tree bark, hemp heads, rags, and old fishing nets, which were inexpensive and widely available, as raw materials. This was undoubtedly a liberation in terms of materials.
Through a more standardized process including soaking, chopping, steaming, pounding, scooping, pressing and drying, he significantly improved the quality and production efficiency of paper. The paper became thinner, more uniform and more suitable for writing. Most importantly, the cost was greatly reduced.
According to historical records, in the first year of Yuansheng (105 AD), Cai Lun reported his improved papermaking methods and achievements to the imperial court.
Emperor He of Han, Liu Zhao, highly praised it and ordered its promotion throughout the country. This readily available, inexpensive and high-quality paper was later called "Cai Hou Paper". The era of cheap paper thus began.
Cheap paper breaks down information barriers.
When the cost of paper went down, what was the most direct change? Books became easier and cheaper to copy. Knowledge was no longer monopolized by a few people on cumbersome bamboo slips or expensive silk. The replication and circulation of books became more convenient than ever before.
In the past, the classics that were kept in the deep palaces and secret libraries now have more opportunities to reach the common people. Scholars can write books and express their ideas without being overly troubled by the cost and bulkiness of writing materials. The speed and scope of cultural dissemination have been qualitatively improved.
This is equally significant for government governance. The production and transmission of official documents, decrees and archives have been greatly enhanced in efficiency.
Saying goodbye to the cumbersome bamboo slips that were transported by carriages, central government orders could reach local areas more quickly and accurately. As a result, the governance of the vast territory became more effective.
Further, the cheap paper also created material conditions for the popularization of education. Although the literacy rate in ancient society was still not high and educational resources were far from balanced.
However, the popularization of paper undoubtedly lowered the threshold for learning. The increase in the number of books made it possible for more people to have access to words and knowledge.
One can imagine that a student no longer needs to carry heavy bamboo slips to study. A light paper book can hold a wealth of knowledge. This convenience plays an immeasurable role in stimulating the enthusiasm for learning and promoting talent cultivation.
This is not merely an innovation in materials, but a revolution in the way information is disseminated. It broke down the existing information barriers, providing knowledge with a much broader space for circulation. Although this circulation still had limitations at that time, it was a world of difference compared to the past.
How Paper Shaped Thought and the World
With convenient and inexpensive writing materials, the sparks of thought are more easily recorded, discussed and passed down. Academic debates, literary creation and artistic expression have all gained an unprecedented material foundation.
After the Han Dynasty, the field of cultural thought remained highly active, which was no small part due to the widespread use of paper.
It is precisely because of the reliable medium of paper that a large number of ancient classics have been able to survive and be passed down through the long ages to the present day.
Otherwise, many cultural treasures that shone with the wisdom of our ancestors might have long been lost in the stream of history, and we would have no way of knowing about them today. Paper has become the guardian of the memory of civilization.
Moreover, the influence of paper was not confined to China. Its manufacturing technology later spread along the Silk Road, crossing deserts and oceans, gradually reaching Central Asia, the Arab world, and even Europe. Wherever it went, it almost always triggered profound changes in local culture, technology, and social development.
The Arabs' improvement of papermaking techniques promoted the "Hundred Years' Translation Movement" and the prosperity of the Islamic Golden Age. After the Europeans acquired the papermaking process and combined it with Gutenberg's printing press, it directly gave rise to the Renaissance and the Reformation. Inexpensive paper became an important force driving the course of world history.
Who could have imagined that Cai Lun's attempt to improve the processing of some rags and old fishing nets would accidentally press an accelerator for global civilization? This perhaps indicates that sometimes a seemingly insignificant technological improvement may have a long-term impact that exceeds everyone's expectations.
From recording information to carrying ideas and then to driving social change, paper, with its low cost and excellent performance, has been deeply embedded in the fabric of human civilization's development. Its power has long transcended its physical form.
Conclusion
The wheel of history rolls forward. Today, we tap on keyboards and information travels thousands of miles in an instant. But looking back, that "Cai Hou paper" made of tree bark and rags, with its light body carrying such weight, still deserves our pause, gaze and reflection.
