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 is very important in the history of paper because he made big improvements to how paper was made. He added new materials like tree bark and hemp to make paper more easily and for everyone to use around the world.

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. He worked for different emperors and helped make important things in the Palace Workshop. In 105 CE, he changed the way paper was made by using things like old cloth and fishnets. This new paper was much better than the old bamboo and wooden slips that people used before.

Even though Cai Lun became very famous and rich for his work, his life ended sadly. When his friend Lady Deng died in 121 CE, Cai was in trouble for what happened to the emperor's grandmother, Consort Song. Feeling very ashamed and afraid of what would happen to him, he died that same year in the capital city where he had lived most of his adult life.

Cai Lun’s work on paper changed the world. His way of making paper helped it spread everywhere and 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. Even today, his hometown in Leiyang is a place where lots of paper is still made.