Chinese Inventions

Paper was probably invented in western China during the first century A.D. At first the Chinese wrote on silk, bamboo, and wood. Then, by the 4th century they were using mulberry bark, hemp, and other fibers. During the Tang dynasty paper became a large scale industry and was widely available. At this time, books were prepared in scrolls. Exactly when printing started is unclear. Historians tell us that seals were in use long before the Han dynasty. Printing was invented in China, and it started by obtaining images from carved wooden blocks. They also tell us that wooden block printed textile designs were in common use by the 6th century. By the 8th century printing was done using both metal and wooden blocks. However, for the next two centuries printing would remain crude.