In A.D. 105, Cai Lun, the eunuch of the Eastern Han Dynasty, summarized the paper-making experience of predecessors and people. He used cheap materials such as bark, hemp head, rags, old fishing nets, etc., mashed them into pulp, spread them evenly on a thin bamboo curtain, made a thin fiber layer, and then squeezed them to dry, making paper for people who can write.
In recent years, some archaeologists have discovered some earlier ancient hemp paper and other kinds of fiber paper in Nur, Lop Nur, Xinjiang and Xi Baqiao. Because of its rough texture, whether it can be used for writing or called paper remains to be verified. However, a set of papermaking techniques and methods created by Cai Lun have been passed down to this day, which has made great contributions to the development of papermaking. The paper-making technology invented by China has played a great role in the development of paper-making technology and cultural communication in the world.
Paper is a sheet fiber product used for writing, printing, painting or packaging. Generally, it is made from the aqueous suspension of plant fibers through pulping, staggered combination on the net, preliminary dehydration, compression and drying. China was the first country in the world to invent paper. According to archaeological findings, in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC to 8 BC), China already had hemp fiber paper. Rough quality, small quantity, high cost and unpopularity.
/kloc-in 0/05, Cai Lun summarized the previous experience in Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and improved papermaking, using bark, hemp head, rags and old fishing nets as raw materials. It greatly improves the production efficiency of paper quality, expands the source of raw materials for paper, reduces the cost of paper, opens up new prospects for paper to replace bamboo and silk, and creates favorable conditions for the spread of culture.
Regarding the ancient records of Cai Lun's invention of papermaking, The Biography of Cai Lun in the Later Han Dynasty said: "Since ancient times, books and deeds have been compiled with bamboo tubes; People who use it are called paper. Expensive and simple, inconvenient for people. Lun intends to use bark, hemp head, cloth and fishing net as paper. " Later generations revered him as the inventor of China's papermaking.
In view of the unhealthy trend of denying Cai Lun as the inventor of papermaking and denying China as the inventor of papermaking, the 20th Congress of the International Paper History Association held in Malmedi, Belgium unanimously recognized China, the great inventor of papermaking in Cai Lun, as the inventor of papermaking.
According to the textual research of Comrade Shi of the Editorial Committee of Luoyang Local Records. Paper House is located in the suburb of Luoyang, the ancient city of Han and Wei Dynasties. It was called Paper House in ancient times. The ancient Majian River passed through a section of the Paper River, and the original paper river inscription along the coast has been lost. According to historical records, Han and Emperor visited Gou Jian's home, and Gou Jian probably visited the paper mill here. Hezhizhuang (now divided into Qianzhizhuang and Houzhizhuang, located about 2000 meters east of Luoyang, the ancient city of Han and Wei Dynasties, facing Luohe) is probably the location of the paper mill in Han Dynasty. These two places have superior geographical environment for papermaking, and there are abundant papermaking resources (such as hemp and bamboo forest) nearby.
In recent years, hundreds of hollow bricks with different shapes have been found in the nearby tombs of the Han Dynasty. The specifications are 140- 169 cm long, 52-70 cm wide and 14- 17 cm thick), and the holes and tenons of the bricks are different, just like prefabricated components of modern buildings. What is the baking style of paper making in Han Dynasty? It is not recorded in the history books. However, Song said in "Heavenly Creations": "First, bake the paper into a lane with bricks. In contrast, these specially made large hollow bricks are probably the raw materials used to build paper baking bodies in the Han Dynasty. There are many patterns of Broussonetia papyrifera, hibiscus and hibiscus flowers on the brick surface of these unearthed large hollow bricks. These barks are all raw materials for papermaking, which probably reflects the reality of papermaking at that time. If we study the baked body used to restore papermaking according to the hole, tenon and heat transfer process of hollow brick, we will have a new breakthrough in the research of papermaking technology in Han Dynasty.
Since Cai Lun improved the papermaking technology, the papermaking industry has developed rapidly. In the Jin Dynasty, paper was widely used instead of silk.
During the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the raw materials for papermaking were not limited to bark, hemp head, rags, broken fishing nets, etc., and their scope was gradually expanded.
Zhang Hua, a writer in the Western Jin Dynasty, said in his Natural History: Tongxi (now Shengxian County, Zhejiang Province) was produced in Gu Teng and could make paper, so it was called Tongteng.
Yu Shinan in the Sui Dynasty wrote a book, Bei Tang Shuchao, in which Fan Ning, a native of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was quoted as saying that earthenware paper cannot be used as a document, and all documents are rattan paper.
From the above records, we know that people in the Jin Dynasty used rattan and bamboo as raw materials for papermaking.
So, what is Fan Ning's "homemade paper" made of?
Some people think that this kind of "paper feeding" is grass paper made of coarse fibers such as wheat straw and rice straw.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, northern Renye Fang used the bark of Toona sinensis to make paper. At that time, Jia Sixie, an outstanding agricultural scientist, wrote a famous agricultural science book Qi Yao Min Shu. When this book talks about the cultivation of Castanopsis eyrei trees by farmers in the north, it says: They cook and peel bark, although it is very hard, but the goods are very profitable; If you can make paper, you will gain more. This record tells us that the purpose of planting Castanopsis eyrei trees in the north is to make paper; In addition, cooking and peeling are important processes in papermaking.
The expansion of the range of papermaking raw materials is of great significance to the development and progress of papermaking industry, and locally produced materials can be used everywhere to make paper.
Due to the expansion of raw materials, there are more and more kinds of paper, the quality of paper is getting better and better, and the output is also greatly increased.
With the increase of paper, copying books has become popular. Thus, a new method to protect the roll paper appeared. When people make it, they will add a very bitter herb called Huangnie. This paper can avoid insect bites and can be stored for a long time. This new method called "entering the Yellow River" was very popular in the Tang Dynasty.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the paper industry in China was more developed. This is inseparable from the political economy at that time. Since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the once economically backward Jiangnan area, through the long-term efforts of the working people, has also risen to the level of the Yellow River Basin. The Sui Dynasty ended the long-term division of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. By the Tang Dynasty, agriculture, handicrafts and commerce had developed greatly, and the feudal economy was very prosperous. The splendid culture of the Tang Dynasty is the peak of China's feudal culture. This situation of economic prosperity and cultural prosperity inevitably requires the development of paper industry and the production of more and better paper to meet the needs of all departments.
In the Tang Dynasty, the paper industry was developed in a wide range of areas, and many places in the north and south produced paper, which was recorded in many ancient books.
At this time, many large-scale papermaking workshops also appeared. In the Tang Dynasty's Sanshui Dai Xiao, it was written that there was a paper workshop in the north of Nanhe County, Julu County, and the wall was often pasted with paper so that the sun could dry it. One day, a whirlwind suddenly blew, and almost all the papers on the wall were rolled down. These white sheets of paper are flying all over the sky in the afternoon, looking from a distance, like snowflakes. From this record, we can imagine that the scale of this paper mill is quite large.
There are many kinds of paper in the Tang Dynasty, and the main raw materials used are hemp, rattan, and Castanopsis eyrei. At that time, Yizhou (now Sichuan) and Yangzhou were famous producing areas of hemp paper. The production of rattan paper has gradually spread from Tunxi, the original place of origin, to tengxian in Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other provinces.
Paper made of Castanopsis eyrei bark was more popular in the Tang Dynasty. Han Yu, a writer in the Tang Dynasty, once called paper "Mr. Tuo", which means paper made of Tuo bark.
In addition to the main raw materials mentioned above, the Tang Dynasty began to use seaweed and sandalwood bark to make paper.
As we all know, China's Xuan paper is very famous, and people who pay attention to writing and drawing like to use it. This kind of paper is still the best among handmade papers until now. Xuan paper is made of sandalwood bark and straw. It is white, delicate, uniform, soft, tough, durable and has the characteristics of strong water absorption. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Xuan paper was already a famous product in Xuanzhou.
Since the Song Dynasty, the output of bamboo paper has been increasing. South of the Yangtze River in China, the climate is warm, bamboo is everywhere, and it grows rapidly. Therefore, after using bamboo as raw material for papermaking, the development of papermaking industry will be faster.
There was a scientist named Song in the Ming Dynasty. He wrote a "Tiangong Tu", in which he talked about the method of making bamboo paper: first, cut bamboo into pieces, soak them in the pond with lime, then take them out to boil the pulp, and then swing them on the pulp surface with bamboo curtains stretched on the wooden frame. In this way, a layer of fiber is left on the bamboo curtain, peeled off and dried, and the paper is made. At that time, boiling pulp with lime was actually a chemical treatment method. This is a fairly complete paper-making method.
Paper industry is one of the important pillar industries of national economy. In recent years, China's paper industry has made great progress, and the distribution of productive forces has been greatly improved. Basically, a relatively complete paper industry system including production enterprises, design, scientific research, equipment manufacturing, chemical additives, professional equipment production and personnel training has been established.