历史小径·世界史英语30篇（2）
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Paper’s Journey: From Han China to Global Knowledge
造纸术传播与知识扩散
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Around 105 CE, Cai Lun in China improved papermaking by mixing bark, hemp, rags, and fishing nets with water and pressing them into thin sheets.
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Before paper, people wrote on bamboo strips, silk, or expensive parchment, limiting who could afford books or record-keeping.
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By the 600s, paper reached Korea and Japan through Buddhist monks, who copied sutras more easily than ever before.
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Arab traders learned the technique after capturing Chinese papermakers at the Battle of Talas in 751, then built mills in Baghdad and Damascus.
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European monks adopted paper by the 1100s, replacing vellum and enabling faster, cheaper manuscript production in monasteries.
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When printing presses arrived in the 1400s, paper supply kept pace—making Bibles, legal codes, and scientific texts widely available.
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Unlike oral traditions or fragile scrolls, paper allowed notes, drafts, and marginalia—supporting critical thinking and peer review.
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Its quiet spread laid groundwork for universities, journalism, and even modern copyright law across multiple civilizations.