Question: who takes credit for the invention of paper in china
Answer: Although it is recorded that the Han Dynasty ( 202 BC -- AD 220 ) court eunuch Cai Lun ( 50 AD -- AD 121 ) invented the pulp papermaking process and established the use of new materials used in making paper , ancient padding and wrapping paper artifacts dating to the 2nd century BC have been found in China , the oldest example of pulp papermaking being a map from Fangmatan , Tianshui ; by the 3rd century , paper as a writing medium was in widespread use , replacing traditional but more expensive writing mediums such as strips of bamboo rolled into threaded scrolls , strips of silk , wet clay