Background
Cai Lun was born in 50 in Guiyang (today Leiyang, Hunan, China).
Ts’ai Lun
Cai Lun was born in 50 in Guiyang (today Leiyang, Hunan, China).
Nothing is known about Cai Lun's education. Probably, he was self-educated.
Cai Lun was a eunuch who entered the service of the imperial palace in 75 CE and was made chief eunuch under the emperor Hedi of the Dong (Eastern) Han dynasty in the year 89 CE. He was involved in palace intrigue as a supporter of Empress Dou, and in the death of her romantic rival, Consort Song. After the death of Empress Dou in CE 97, he became an associate of Consort Deng Sui.
About the year 105 Cai conceived the idea of forming sheets of paper from the macerated bark of trees, hemp waste, old rags, and fishnets. The paper thus obtained was found to be superior in writing quality to cloth made of pure silk (the principal writing surface of the time), as well as being much less expensive to produce and having more abundant sources. Cai reported his discovery to the emperor, who commended him for it. Important improvements were subsequently made to Cai’s papermaking process by his apprentice, Zuo Bo, and the process was rapidly adopted throughout China, from which it eventually spread to the rest of the world. Cai's paper was light and thin, strong and inexpensive, and could be mass-produced. Cai himself was named a marquess in 114.
In CE 121, Consort Song's grandson Emperor An of Han assumed power after Empress Deng's death and 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 silk robes. Cai was later revered in Chinese ancestor worship.
Cai Lun is known as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process. 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 (primarily bamboo and silk), and it did the same with Europe when it was introduced in the 12th or 13th century. The stamp with his image was issued in 1962.
Perhaps he was a supporter of Confucianism, because the only way a person could achieve an important position in the government or in society was by having a good knowledge of Confucianism. To become a government official (and Cai Lun certainly did this) it was necessary to pass a difficult civil service examination based on the ideas of Confucius.
Because of his position (eunuch), Cai Lun couldn't have neither children nor wife.
