WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -In ancient times writings and inscriptions were generally made on tablets of bamboo or on pieces of silk called chih. But silk being costly and bamboos heavy they were not convenient to use. Tshai Lun then initiated the idea of making paper from the bark of trees, remnants of hemp, rags of cloth and fishing nets.

Detailed explanation-2: -The earliest writing took the form of pictograms and ideographs that were incised onto the surfaces of jades and oracle bones, or cast into the surface of ritual bronze vessels.

Detailed explanation-3: -Before its invention, bones, tortoise shells, and bamboo slips were all used as writing surfaces, but as Chinese civilization developed they proved themselves unsuitable because of their bulk and weight. Hemp fiber and silk were used to make paper but the quality was far from satisfactory.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Chinese discovered how to print on paper using blocks of wood and other materials. Seals (impressions or stamps made on wood or other materials) were the first form of printing used in China. Starting around 250 BCE, seals were impressed on official documents, personal letters, and works of art.

Detailed explanation-5: -Paper has been used for wrapping in China since the 2nd century B.C., and it was not widely used for writing until the 3rd century.