In the Ming and Qing dynasties, all kinds of stationery became popular again. White paper and elegant colored paper were highly respected in texture, and the colors were bright and quiet, such as pastel paper and printing and dyeing paper in Kanggan period. By the Qing Dynasty, the production of paper had reached a perfect level.
Baqiao Paper:
1957, the ancient paper of the Western Han Dynasty in the 2nd century BC was unearthed in Baqiao, the eastern suburb of Xi. When it was unearthed, it was a pile of large and small pieces of paper. The largest is10×10cm, and the smallest is 3× 4cm, beige. After repeated scientific experiments, it is found that it is mainly made of hemp and a small amount of ramie fiber, that is, "plant fiber paper". This ancient tomb is no later than the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that is, 140 to 87 years ago. Therefore, it can be concluded that plant fiber paper was produced and used in China more than 2000 years ago, that is, in the 2nd century BC. This Baqiao paper is the earliest paper in the world excavated by archaeology.
Cai Lun's thesis:
Cai Lun, the inventor of papermaking in Han Dynasty, is awe-inspiring. Guiyang (now Chenzhou City, Hunan Province) people. In the 18th year of Ming Di Yongping (75), he entered the palace as an official. In the first year of Zhanghe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (87), he was appointed. In the first year of Yuanxing (105), papermaking was invented. Summing up the experience of predecessors, he began to make paper from bark, hemp head, rags, old fishing nets and other raw materials through beating, mashing, papermaking, baking and other processes. It was called "Cai Hou Paper", which made great contributions to the reform and popularization of papermaking and was later passed down as the inventor of papermaking. Papermaking is one of the four great inventions in ancient China, which has made great contributions to the spread and development of world culture.
Zuo Bo paper:
After Cai Lun, others constantly improved his methods. About eighty years after Cai Lun's death (at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty), another paper expert named Zuo Bo appeared. The paper he made is even in thickness, delicate in texture and bright in color. At that time, people called this kind of paper "Zuo Bo paper". Unfortunately, the raw materials and manufacturing methods used in Zuo Bo are not recorded in history.
Rattan paper:
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, paper was widely spread and used, and papermaking was further improved. Before the Jin Dynasty, the paper-making area was concentrated in Luoyang, Henan Province, and gradually spread to Vietnam, Sichuan, Shao, Yang, Anhui, Jiangxi and other places, with increasing output and quality. Paper-making raw materials are also diversified, and there are many names of paper. Tunxi has rattan paper with rattan skin as raw material. The paper is smooth and white as jade, leaving no ink marks.