紙的發明源于2000多年前的中國,當時人們用蠶絲作為造紙的原料,所以紙的價格昂貴,只有皇室和貴族才能使用。相傳東漢的蔡倫改進造紙術,他利用樹皮、破布造出了輕便而廉價的紙。造紙術的改進使紙得以普及,人們的文化生活呈現出嶄新的面貌。后來,紙經過絲綢之路傳到西方,人類文明也隨著紙的普及得以廣泛傳播。
Paper was invented in China more than 2 000 years ago. At that time, paper was made of silk and was so expensive that only the royal family and aristocrats could afford to use it. Legend has it that Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty improved the paper-making process by using tree bark and rags to create cheap and thin paper. The improvement in paper-making made paper popular, and people’s cultural life took on a new look. Later, paper was spread to the West through the Silk Road, and human civilization was also spread widely with the popularization of paper.