Paper: the general term for paper. Paper is counted by sheets, so paper is generally divided into: letterpress printing paper, newsprint, offset printing paper, coated paper, book cover paper, bible paper, copy paper, paperboard and so on.
Sheets made of plant fibers are used for writing pictures, printing books and newspapers, packaging, etc. Unlike bamboo, bamboo is the "silk" of animal fiber. Paper: the general term for paper. Paper is counted by sheets, so paper is generally divided into: letterpress printing paper, newsprint, offset printing paper, coated paper, book cover paper, bible paper, copy paper, paperboard and so on.
Papermaking is one of the "four great inventions" in ancient China. The invention of paper greatly facilitates the storage and exchange of information, which is of epoch-making significance for promoting the development of world civilization. Before the invention of papermaking, people carved characters on tortoise shells, animal bones, bamboo chips, wood chips and silk. Oracle Bone Inscriptions and sawdust are heavy and inconvenient to use; Silk is too expensive for ordinary people to use. About the early Western Han Dynasty, people used hemp and ramie to make paper. This kind of early paper is rough and not suitable for writing.
By the Eastern Han Dynasty more than 1800 years ago, Cai Lun, who was an official in the imperial court, had improved the papermaking method after long-term experiments. He used plant fibers such as bark, rags and broken fishing nets as raw materials, boiled them with water, mashed them into slurry, and then spread them evenly on a thin curtain to dry, making a thin piece of paper. This kind of paper is easy to write and cheap, which has been welcomed by people. Cai Lun's contribution to papermaking is enormous. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, papermaking technology has been continuously improved, and bamboo, straw and bagasse have gradually become raw materials for papermaking. Because of different raw materials, paper also has various kinds and uses. Xuan paper produced in Xuanzhou, Anhui Province, is a first-class paper that is well-known at home and abroad, and is a treasure used in China's calligraphy and painting.