The first recorded use of paper in China was sometime around 100 A.D.
It was made of hemp, and its inventor is supposedly a man named Cai Lun.
There’s evidence now, however, that there were some forerunners to this hemp paper in China, even before that point.
The word paper derives from the Greek term for the ancient Egyptian material called papyrus, which was formed from papyrus plants.
As an effective and cheap alternative to silk, paper enabled China to sell more silk, leading to a Golden Age.
