Paper reaches standardized production in Han China

Under Cai Lun's supervision the Han court standardized papermaking from mulberry bark, hemp and rags — cheap, light, writable surfaces.

Why it matters

Paper collapsed the cost of information storage; every later revolution — printing, bureaucracy, newspapers, books — ran on it. It took centuries to reach the Islamic world and then Europe, transforming each in turn.

People

Cai Lun

Threads

This event sits on Communication.

Related events

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Sources

• Encyclopædia Britannica — papermaking