Of the four great inventions in ancient China, papermaking was the first to spread to other countries.
In 75 1 A.D., Gao Xianzhi, a general of the Tang Dynasty, led an army to fight with Shali, a general of Dashi (Arab Empire), in the central Asian town of Rollo (now Zabul, Kazakhstan). In the fierce battle, Tang Jun was defeated because of the rebellion of the troops in the central and western regions of Tang Jun. After the war in Walaas, some paper workers in the Tang army were captured by the Arab army. Sally brought these craftsmen to Samarkand, a small town in Central Asia, taught them papermaking technology and established the first paper mill in the Arab Empire to produce hemp paper. Since then, Samarkand has become the paper-making center of Arabs.
Subsequently, papermaking, which originated in China, quickly spread to Syrian, Egyptian, Moroccan, Spanish and Italian countries with the Arab army.
In order to solve the problem of poor paper quality in Europe, French Finance Minister Durge had hoped to use Jesuit priests stationed in Beijing to spy on China's paper-making technology. During the Qianlong period, Michel Benoist, a French painter and Jesuit priest who worked for the Qing court, sent China's papermaking technology back to Paris, and China's advanced papermaking technology was widely spread in Europe. 1797, French Nicolas Louis Robert successfully invented the method of machine papermaking. Since Cai Lun's time, China people have been ahead for nearly 2000 years, and papermaking has finally been surpassed by Europeans.
Mongolian banknotes and European cards have become important tools for the spread of printing.
Because Mongolians widely used paper money in their conquered areas, as a printing method of paper money, movable type printing also spread to West Asia and North Africa along the Silk Road, and then entered Europe. Besides paper money, religious paintings and cards also contribute to the acceptance of printing technology in Europe. Although the card is small, it combines many methods such as hand-drawing and block printing, and has become the most direct way for Europeans to learn and master block printing.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Europeans came to China along the Silk Road and learned to use wooden movable type. Because the Latin alphabet used by Europeans has a simple structure, only 26 letters, which is more suitable for movable type printing than Chinese characters. 1450, German Gutenberg invented the Gothic Latin metal movable type printing technology in Mainz's factory, which solved the font problem that had long troubled Europeans.