Cai Lun

Cai Lun was a Chinese court eunuch of the Eastern Han dynasty who, as director of the imperial workshops, presented an improved method of making paper to Emperor He in 105 CE. His paper was made from tree bark, hemp, old rags and fishing nets, cheaper than silk and lighter than bamboo strips. Chinese tradition credits him as the inventor of paper, though earlier forms existed, and papermaking later spread across Asia and to Europe.