Which dynasty is credited with the invention of papermaking?

The Han dynasty is the dynasty traditionally credited with the invention and major development of papermaking.

The association comes especially from Cai Lun, an Eastern Han court official who reported an improved papermaking process in 105 CE. His method used materials such as tree bark, hemp waste, old rags, and fishing nets, producing a practical writing surface that was far lighter and cheaper than bamboo slips or silk.

The wording “invention” needs a small historical qualification: archaeologists have found earlier paper-like materials in China, dating to before Cai Lun. Cai’s importance was refining the process and helping make paper suitable for large-scale use across the Han Empire.

Papermaking later spread beyond China through Central Asia and the Islamic world, eventually transforming administration, education, literature, and religion across Eurasia. The Tang, Song, and later dynasties expanded its production, but they were not the dynasty conventionally credited with its origin.