Paper, zhi, was a Chinese invention. 2,000 years ago, Chinese people i papermaking. This zhi was made o silk and was very expensive. Only the emperor and rich people could a to use it. 1,900 years ago, Cai Lun improved the paper-making process.
He made cheap jinzhi out of tree bark and old cloth. The improvement in paper-making spread zhi far and wide, and many different k of zhi were made by Chinese people. Xuan paper, a type of high quality rice paper, best shows the charm of t Chinese painting and calligraphy (书法). Later, Chinese zhi spread to the West via the Chinese Silk Road.
