We should tell evidence in everything we say and do, especially when Cai Lun invented papermaking. So where did everyone know that Cai Lun was the inventor of papermaking?
Let's see which history book records Cai Lun's papermaking. After investigation, we found that people thought that Cai Lun was the inventor of papermaking, mainly because of the records in the Book of Later Han Dynasty.
Most of the original historical materials in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty come from the official history book "The History of the East View" compiled in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
This "East View of Han Ji" is a historical book written by university students and others during the reign of Emperor Han Ming. The Biography of Cai Lun was later written by Emperor Heng of Han Dynasty in 15 1 year.
It is about 30 years since Cai Lun died in 15 1 year, so these editors should be in the same period as Cai Lun. Therefore, many scholars believe that the contents recorded in the East View of Han Ji should be true and credible.
However, the eastern view of Han Ji can only believe in earlier ancient books, and there are many mistakes in the manuscripts of Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Mainly because later scholars added their own subjective thoughts when copying, and each sentence would add some words that they used well, which would embellish and distort the whole story. Therefore, only the ancient books before Sui and Tang Dynasties are similar to those recorded in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
After the Tang Dynasty, many people began to suggest that Cai Lun was not the inventor of papermaking. Everyone thinks that Cai Lun only improved papermaking, not invented it.
In the Northern Song Dynasty's Negative Record, it was said, "Cover its paper, and the old one also has it. Special Cai Lun is good at doing things, not making things. " So until now, people still have doubts about whether Cai Lun invented or improved it.
1, the story of Cai Lun
Cai Lun is a famous figure in the history of China. Because he was the inventor of papermaking, one of the four great inventions in ancient China. It is listed as the seventh among 100 celebrities whose authoritative works in the United States have influenced the course of human history, second only to Confucius in China.
In 75 AD, Cai Lun entered the Han Palace in the first year. It is said that Emperor Gaozu Zhang not only likes beautiful women, but also likes child molesters with both talents and looks, so he took the power of the whole country to recruit such children from all over the country to serve him. So Cai Lun entered the palace to be a eunuch, not because his family was poor, but because he was too beautiful and smart.
Soon after entering the palace, Cai Lun rose from a small yellow door to a yellow door assistant. Although assistant minister Huang Men is not high in rank, he can have direct contact with senior officials and concubines in the harem. So, Cai Lun met the first noble Dou Queen in her life these days.
Queen Dou is not only rich in family background, beautiful in appearance, but also quite scheming, which won the favor of Emperor Zhang of Han Dynasty. But I just can't have a son. The women in the harem, no matter how prominent their status is, how deeply loved by the emperor, will become yesterday's flowers when they are old and have no children.
One thousand one day the emperor Zhang Han died, so once the prince acceded to the throne. The position of Queen Dou may be lost.
In the days when she was in contact with Cai Lun, Queen Dou knew her ability to handle affairs. So Queen Dou ordered Cai Lun to frame the Prince's biological mother, Song Guiren, for witchcraft.
Cai Lun is a clever man, which is not difficult for him at all. So soon Song Guiren was sent to death row and committed suicide by taking poison, and the prince was also abolished as the king of Qinghe.
2. Cai Lun evaluation
Papermaking, together with compass, gunpowder and printing, is called China's four great inventions. With the invention of papermaking, human knowledge can be recorded, preserved and disseminated in a large number of ways. As the inventor of papermaking, Cai Lun is a household name in China. But since ancient times, people have different views on Cai Lun.
Cai Lun was a eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Historically, eunuchs or eunuchs were slaves of the royal family, emperors and queens. Their rise and fall are inextricably linked with imperial power. It is impossible for them to bypass the imperial power and develop freely at will.
Therefore, almost all the famous eunuchs in China are known for their treachery, diabolical and insidious, and the concept of eunuchs has also become synonymous with the intrigue of the imperial court. And Cai Lun, if you want to live in this sinister court, you have to be one of such eunuchs.
Cai Lun wants to improve papermaking because he wants to invite pets in front of Queen Deng, which is also quite funny.
But the original intention of many inventors is actually for their own interests, because the invention itself is accidental and utilitarian. Because the original intention of Cai Lun's invention is selfish, many people think that Cai Lun is not an inventor, but a selfish eunuch.
However, some people think that China remained among the developed countries in the world for a long time in the feudal era because Cai Lun invented papermaking, which made culture prosperous and promoted economic development, while the West was able to catch up with China because it borrowed papermaking handed down from China.
So Cai Lun's papermaking is still a great invention that we are proud of. So their evaluation of Cai Lun is still very high.