How Paper Was Invented in Ancient China | Cai Lun’s World-Changing Innovation Paper changed human history forever—but its story began in ancient China. 📜 Around 105 CE, court official Cai Lun perfected a revolutionary method using mulberry bark, hemp, rags, and fishing nets, creating affordable writing material that replaced bamboo and silk. This single invention fueled education, record-keeping, art, and global knowledge exchange, spreading from China to Japan, the Islamic world, and Europe, s