INVENTOR

Cai Lun

48 - 121

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Icon of person Cai Lun

Cai Lun (Chinese: 蔡伦; courtesy name: Jingzhong (敬仲); c. 50–62 – 121 CE), formerly romanized as Ts'ai Lun, was a Chinese eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty. He occupies a pivotal place in the history of paper due to his addition of pulp via tree bark and hemp ends which resulted in the large-scale manufacture and worldwide spread of paper. Although traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper, earlier forms of paper have existed since the 3rd century BCE, so Cai's contributions are limited to innovation, rather than invention. Born in Guiyang Commandery (in what is now Leiyang), Cai arrived at the imperial court in Luoyang by 75 CE, where he served as a chamberlain for Emperor Ming, and then as Xiao Huangmen, an imperial messenger for Emperor Zhang. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Cai Lun is the 18th most popular inventor (down from 14th in 2019), the 31st most popular biography from China (down from 30th in 2019) and the most popular Chinese Inventor.

Cai Lun is most famous for inventing paper.

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Among INVENTORS

Among inventors, Cai Lun ranks 18 out of 426. Before him are Charles Babbage, Samuel Morse, Nikolaus Otto, Louis Daguerre, Nicolas Appert, and Rudolf Diesel. After him are Nicéphore Niépce, Karl Ferdinand Braun, George Stephenson, Hans Lippershey, Eli Whitney, and Lee de Forest.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 48, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him is Ulpia Marciana. Among people deceased in 121, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him are Pompeia Plotina, Deng Sui, and Pope Primus of Alexandria.

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In China

Among people born in China, Cai Lun ranks 31 out of 1,610. Before him are Cao Cao (155), Temür Khan (1265), Toghon Temür (1320), Mencius (-372), Qianlong Emperor (1711), and Kanishka (78). After him are Jiang Zemin (1926), Toshiro Mifune (1920), Zhuge Liang (181), Kangxi Emperor (1654), Xuanzang (602), and Hongwu Emperor (1328).

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Among INVENTORS In China

Among inventors born in China, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him are Charles K. Kao (1933), Bi Sheng (990), Taiichi Ohno (1912), Yuan Longping (1930), Thonmi Sambhota (618), An Wang (1920), and Robin Li (1968).

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