For many centuries, the Chinese considered all their neighbors living next to them to be barbarians. They seemed to be protected from the outside world and practically did not come into contact with people from the outside. Over a long period of isolation, Chinese writers and poets were able to create an original culture, inventors and scientists also did not lag behind.
The degree of development of China in ancient times
In those days when the world was dominated by the era of antiquity, the Chinese already used gunpowder and wrote on paper. The history of the emergence of paper is quite long and quite interesting. At first, the Chinese used tortoise shells to write hieroglyphs. They have survived to this day and date back to the 2nd millennium BC. They then moved on to silk scrolls, thin strips of bamboo, and clay writing tablets.
At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, during the reign of the Chinese Han Dynasty, a low-ranking dignitary invented paper. According to the tradition of that era, paper was made from silk. Cai Lun followed the same path, however, he added wood ash and hemp to it. Such a material had considerable strength,by drying it in the sun and smoothing it with stones. For this invention, Cai Lun received a high position from the emperor and took a significant position in Chinese society.
If we consider in more detail the technology of paper production invented by Lun, it can be noted that he decided to lay out small particles of silk on a grid, which were then bound and moistened with a large amount of water. Prior to this, silk fibers were ground and smashed with hammers, adding quite a bit of water. This made the final material brittle and dense enough to write on. The ink on such paper was quickly erased, and the books and chronicles themselves turned into dust. This principle underlies paper production today.
Another merit of Cai Lun is that he came up with a way to create paper from different fibers. After the introduction of this principle, the amount of unused residues has become less. In addition, Cai Lun's paper was not only better quality, but also cheaper to produce, which was important both now and in those days.
Inventor of paper
The personality of this great inventor is interesting enough. Cai Lun was born in the fiftieth year of our era. Nothing is known for certain about his childhood. This person is mentioned only in 65 AD: as a fifteen-year-old youth, Cai Lun began to serve in the imperial palace. For his diligence, diligence and responsibility, he went up the career ladder with each emperor he served, and there were as many as five of them. All rulersnoticed the outstanding talent of this man, and the rumor spread about him as a unique specialist. As he grew older, Cai Lun was entrusted with the position of head of the imperial arsenal. It was there that he first showed his inventive enthusiasm, inventing several new types of weapons and improving the quality of existing ones.
Paper outside of China
But the history of paper does not end there. The process of optimizing production went on continuously. The Chinese were especially zealous in ensuring that their secret did not fall into the hands of any other state. But still, in the middle of the 7th century, the secret of paper production became known outside of China. It began to be used in Japan and India. Then, in the 9th century, Chinese paper fell into the hands of the Arabs, and then migrated to Europe.
Process improvement
In European countries, paper production technology has undergone significant changes. Holland has become a trendsetter in this matter due to its high productive capacity and a significant degree of economic development. In the 17th century, the Dutch were able to improve all stages of the process, thanks to the introduction of various technical innovations. Although initially in the XII century, paper production began in France and Italy.
Paper in Russia
At the beginning of the 17th century, the technology of paper production reached Russia. In the 30s of the 17th century, the first mill for the production of paper was laid. Already in the time of Peter I in the regionsMoscow and St. Petersburg founded several more mills and large manufactories. For a long time, the Russian Empire could not provide itself with high-quality paper; it had to be purchased from Holland. However, with the industrial reforms of Peter I, our country was able to establish paper production.
The invention of Tsai Lun allowed mankind to reach a new level of development. Paper, which can remain intact for many years, has significantly helped the development of literature and history. Many things about China, the life and habits of the people of that time would be unknown to us without this invention. The paper also conveyed to subsequent generations the ideas of great Chinese thinkers such as Lao Tzu, Confucius, Chuang Tzu and others. Without it, all the works of these sages could have been lost in the maelstrom of wars or under the influence of time.
