China is the country traditionally credited with inventing paper, with Cai Lun associated with its early development.
Archaeological discoveries show that paper-like materials existed in China before Cai Lun. However, historical records say that Cai Lun, a Han dynasty court official, presented an improved papermaking process to Emperor He in AD 105. His method used materials such as tree bark, hemp waste, old rags and fishing nets.
Paper spread from China across East and Central Asia and later reached the Islamic world and Europe. Its low cost and light weight made it especially useful for administration, education and literature.
Cai Lun is often called the inventor of paper, but historians generally describe him more precisely as an important improver and promoter of the technique.