Cai Lun was a Chinese eunuch who greatly reformed the art of papermaking. Cai Lun was a Chinese eunuch, who is conventionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper.

Cai Lun was born in Guiyang during the Eastern Han Dynasty. After serving as a court eunuch since 75 AD, he was given several promotions under the rule of Emperor He. In 89 AD he was promoted with the title of Shang Fang Si (an office in charge of manufacturing instruments and weapons) and he also became a paperwork secretary. Later, he became involved in intrigue, as a supporter of Empress Dou. He was involved in the death of her romantic rival, Consort Song. Afterwards, he became an associate of Empress Deng Sui. In 121, after Consort

Song's grandson Emperor An assumed power after Empress Deng's death, Cai was ordered to report to prison. Before he was to report, he committed suicide by drinking poison after taking a bath and dressing in fine robes. In 105 AD, Cai Lun (along with help from an imperial consort Deng) invented the composition for paper along with the papermaking process.

Later, he became involved in intrigue, as a supporter of Empress Dou. He was involved in the death of her romantic rival, Consort Song. Afterwards, he became an associate of Empress Deng Sui. In 121, after Consort Song's grandson Emperor, an assumed power after Empress Deng's death, Cai was ordered to report to prison. In 221, he was committed suicide after an incident at the palace.

How did Cai Lun invent the paper?

At that time, although the technology of papermaking has already been invented, paper was used primarily among only common people. While most of the literati did not favor the paper, Cai saw the prospect of paper, which could substitute for silk. So Cai began to reform the papermaking technology

For papermaking, Cai earnestly summarized predecessors' experience and improved the technology .Cai first used bark to make paper, which largely enhanced the paper's output, because the dark material is richer than hemp. Cai's paper (known as Cai Lun paper) was light and thin, strong and inexpensive, and could be mass-produced.

How did the paper making method spread to the whole world?
By the third century, the manufacture and use of paper was widespread in China and had spread to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. In 751, some Chinese paper makers were captured by Arabs, and the first Arab paper was created in Samarkand. Production of paper spread to Spain in 1150, and soon displaced the use of hides and parchment as writing materials in Europe. The introduction of paper was a catalyst that brought about the rapid spread of literacy and intellectual development in China, the Middle East and Europe.

What are contributions of paper making technique to the Chinese development?
The invention of papermaking technique made great contributions to the progress of Chinese and world civilization. However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period, paper was not widely popularized, and people still tended to use primarily the earlier writing materials of bamboo and silk. Up until the Jin Dynasty, the craft of papermaking was spread to the Yangtze River basin, where featured rich papermaking materials and emerged paper of better quality, thus making paper more widespread. Moreover, thanks to the prevalence of paper, book copying and collecting became popular among the people of Jin Dynasty. Later, Cai Lun was esteemed as the founder of papermaking.

What is Cai Lun’s global influence?
While paper is widely used worldwide today, the creator of this extremely important invention is only somewhat known outside East Asia. After Cai invented the papermaking process in 105, it became widely used as a writing medium in China by the 3rd century AD. It enabled China to develop its civilization much faster than it had with earlier writing materials. By the 7th century, China's papermaking technique had spread to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. In 751, some Chinese paper makers were captured by Arabs after Tang troops were defeated

in the Battle of Talas River. The techniques of papermaking then spread to the West. When paper was first introduced to Europe in the 12th century, it gradually revolutionized the manner in which written communication could be spread from region to region. Along with contact between Arabs and Europeans during the Crusades, the widespread use of paper aided the foundation of the Scholastic Age in Europe.

Cai Lun is regarded as a Chinese national hero, admired for his ingenuity and his forthright nature. Cai's contribution is considered one of the most important inventions in history, since it enabled China to develop its civilization much faster than with earlier writing materials, and it did the same with Europe when it was introduced in the 12th or 13th century.