Five seminal steps in ancient Chinese papermaking outlined in a woodcut.

虽然说 造纸 兴于东汉， 但西汉之前已始有

Paper is a white material primarily used for writing, first invented in ancient China.

Although contemporary precursors such as papyrus and amate existed in the Mediterranean world and pre-Columbian Americas, respectively, these materials are not defined as true paper.

The first papermaking process was documented in China during the Eastern Han period (25-220 C.E.), traditionally attributed to the court official Cai Lun. 蔡伦

During the 8th century, Chinese papermaking spread to the Islamic world, where pulp mills and paper mills were used for money making.

By the 11th century, papermaking was brought to

medieval Europe, where it was refined with the earliest known paper mills utilizing

waterwheels. Later Western improvements to the papermaking process came in the 19th century with the invention of wood-based papers.

造纸术，印刷术 -- 文明才载体

指南针 -- 生存的根本

火药 -- 生产和战争的武器

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所谓埃及造纸比中国早，已被国际学者否定

埃及的不是真纸

The papyrus 莎草（水生植物）plant is a reed that grows in marshy areas around the Nile river. In ancient Egypt, the wild plant was used for a variety of uses, and specially cultivated papyrus, grown on plantations, was used to make the writing material.

埃及造纸图示过程

Slide Show

埃及 莎草纸