Cai Lun Papermaking

Papermaking is one of the four great inventions in ancient China. As early as 1800 years ago, Cai Lun, the inventor of papermaking, used Caifu (ie, bark), hemp (flock), open cloth (rag), broken fish nets, and other materials to make Cai Hou Paper. He was highly praised by the Eastern Han Dynasty and emperor in AD 105. The invention of papermaking made a tremendous contribution to the progress of civilization in China and the world.
At the beginning of the invention of papermaking, papermaking materials were mainly rags and bark. The rags at the time were mainly hemp fibers, and the main varieties were ramie and marijuana. It is alleged that China’s cotton is in the early Eastern Han Dynasty and was introduced into India at the same time as Buddhism. Therefore, it should be used later for textiles. In addition, the bark that was used at that time was chiefly a skin (that is, suede) and was once known as "Mr.
During the period of the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties (3-5th century AD), the variety, yield, and quality of paper increased and increased, and the papermaking raw materials were more widely sourced. History books have mentioned some of the names of paper materials related to raw materials during this period, such as white linen and jute paper for writing, suede made from suede, stencil made from rattan fiber, and sangen made by Māpi. Paper, grass made of straw, etc. From this we can see that during the period of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, hemp, cassia, mulberry, rattan fiber, rice straw, etc. have been widely used as papermaking raw materials.
In addition, in the history books, there are references to silkworm cocoon, moss paper, hair-dragging paper, side-lining paper, and so on. Have you ever used paper products such as moss and hair? According to the characteristics of this kind of fiber, the author thinks that it is unlikely that the hair has little fiber binding force and the paper strength is very low. It is not suitable for papermaking alone. As for the silkworm paper and the paper, it is probably a pictographic noun. The white, fine hemp paper surface resembles a cocoon, and may be called a silkworm cocoon. If you add a little tinted long fiber or hair to the pulp, you may feel like it is a hair piece. It may be called a piece of paper. Moss and green patterns may be called moss paper. Of course, this is only a kind of inference. , still need to send a textual research.
Bamboo as a raw material for papermaking began in Jin or Song Dynasty, and there are still different views. In a letter from the calligrapher Xiao Ziliang of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, he said: “Zhang Mao made the foil, fluently used it, and was easy to run.” According to the textual criticism, the foil of the temple was tender bamboo paper, and Zhang Mao was from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It seems that using bamboo for papermaking may be Initially in Jin. However, the amount is very small.
The politics, economy, and culture of the Tang dynasty in China are unprecedentedly prosperous. The papermaking industry has also entered a prosperous period. Paper varieties have continued to increase, producing many famous papers and a large number of artistic treasures. Papermaking raw materials are most widely used for bark. It is mainly used for molting and mulberry, as well as for the records of rind and bark. Rattan fiber is also widely used, but as late as the Tang Dynasty, due to a large number of wild vines were cut down, there is no one managed to cultivate, raw materials in short supply, rattan paper a stagnated, disappeared until the Ming Dynasty.
In the Song Dynasty, bamboo and paper developed rapidly. In the latter stage, ten or seventy-eight were bamboo and paper. The amount of use can be imagined. Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, etc. are the most prosperous places in terms of production areas. Push Zhejiang and Sichuan. In the process, most bamboo papers in the Song Dynasty have no bleaching process. Paper is the raw material color. In addition to color yellow, bamboo paper also has the disadvantage of being brittle.
The prosperity of bamboo and paper during the Yuan and Ming dynasties created a new chapter in history, especially in the development of Fujian. The use of "clinker" production and natural bleaching has greatly improved the production of bamboo paper.
Due to the great development of the paper industry in the Qing Dynasty, traditional papermaking materials such as hemp and bark could no longer meet the needs. Bamboo paper dominated the Qing Dynasty, and other straws also developed. Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, and other places used wheat straw and brushweed. . In Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, Malian grasses are used, northwest grasses and northeast grasses. Some wild grass plants were made. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, local residents used to make rough paper. China's use of bagasse for papermaking began in the late Qing Dynasty. Zhang Dongming set up a paper mill in Xujiapo to use bagasse as a raw material, which was documented in the “Qing Dynasty Continuing Documentary Exam” vol. 384. In the Qing Dynasty, there was a great progress in technical production of straw pulp, and bleached straw pulp was made from bamboo pulp and leather pulp. The famous Jing County Xuan Paper is made from a certain proportion of refined straw and sandalwood pulp. Its production process has continued to this day. Reeds are also used in the late Qing Dynasty. According to Guangxu's thirty-two period of the "Oriental Magazine" in the third volume: "Chen Xingtai set up a paper mill in the bridge mouth of Hankou, and tried to make paper for daily use with pieces of reed (reed), bagasse, rice straw, etc. Effective".
Papermaking has developed in China through inventions and spread throughout the country. At the beginning of the 7th century (early late Sui and early Tang dynasties), it began to spread eastward to North Korea and Japan; in the 8th century, it passed Samarqin to the west, the later Arabs, and then went to Baghdad; in the 10th century to Damascus and Cairo; 11 The century was introduced into Morocco; in the 13th century it was introduced to India; in the 14th century to Italy, many Italian cities built paper mills, which became important bases for the spread of papermaking in Europe, from there to Germany and the United Kingdom, and in the 16th century to Russia and the Netherlands. The 17th century reached the United Kingdom; it was introduced to Canada in the 19th century.
After the papermaking process, the raw materials and techniques used in the West continue to be used in our country, mainly based on hemp and rags. However, the rags in Europe are generally cotton fibers. Finished paper is not as soft and thin as Chinese products, and the sensation of rags is in short supply. By the end of the 19th century, with the impetus of the European industrial revolution, the use of wood as a raw material for machine paper developed rapidly, and it was generally believed that wood was a better raw material for papermaking. In the last years of the Qing dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China, there were also mechanized paper mills. Both timber and non-wood raw materials were used.