11-paper-纸

11.Paper Chinese invention

Paper, zhi, was a Chinese invention. 2,000 years ago, Chinese invented paper-making. This zhi was made of silk and was so expensive that only the emperor and aristocrats could afford to use it. 1,900 years ago, a eunuch called Cai Lun improved the paper-making process. He made cheap jinzhi out of tree bark and rags. The improvement in paper-making spread zhi far and wide, and many different types of zhi were invented by Chinese people. Xuan paper, a kind of high-quality rice paper, best shows the charm of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Jute paper is used to transcribe Chinese classics. Later, Chinese zhi spread to the West via the Chinese Silk Road. Thousands of years of culture and civilization were recorded on zhi and passed to different parts of the world.

纸的发明源于中国。2000多年前，中国人发明了造纸术。这种纸用蚕丝作原料，价格昂贵，只有皇帝和贵族才能使用。1900多年前，一个叫蔡伦的人改进了造纸术。他利用树皮、破布，造出了轻便又廉价的纸。造纸术的改进使纸广为流传，也出现了很多品种。宣纸最能展示中国画的魅力。黄麻纸多用来书写中国古老的经书。后来，中国的纸经过丝绸之路传向西方。千百年来，文明被记录在纸上，传递到世界各地。