Cai Lun

Cai Lun

Cai Lun (Chinese: 蔡伦; courtesy name: Jingzhong (敬仲); c. 50–62 – 121 CE), formerly romanized as Ts'ai Lun, was a Chinese eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty. He helped improve how paper was made. He added new materials like tree bark and hemp to make paper easier for everyone to use.

Cai Lun was born in Guiyang Commandery (in what is now Leiyang), and he started working in the imperial court in Luoyang by 75 CE. In 105 CE, he changed how paper was made by using things like old cloth and fishnets. This new paper was much better than the old bamboo and wooden slips people used before.

Cai Lun’s work on paper helped change the world. His way of making paper made it easier for people to write and share ideas. He is remembered in China as the god of papermaking and appears in stories, but outside East Asia he is not as well known. Today, his hometown in Leiyang is still a place where lots of paper is made.