Cai Lun

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. About the year Io5 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, as well as being much less expensive to produce and having more abundant sources.