The era when Chinese people wrote on bamboo slips should have started in the Yin and Shang dynasties based on the statement in Shangshu that "(Shang Dynasty) had books and canons", but if we look at archaeological discoveries, then It began in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was not until the 4th century AD that papermaking gradually became popular, that bamboo slips gradually faded out of people's lives.
Then, from about 770 BC to the 4th century AD, at the same time. Where did the foreign civilizations of this era write their words? The following are the unique objects used by different European and Asian civilizations at that time.
1. Papyrus
< p>After the late Qing Dynasty fell behind and was beaten, many "masters" who admired foreign civilizations also began to question Chinese papermaking, and even claimed that Egyptian papyrus was the source of papermaking. But those who hold this view, I basically don’t understand what papyrus is.In fact, papyrus, which was born in ancient Egypt and was spread in Greece and other countries during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period in China, is not “paper”, but paper. The papyrus stems are cut into thin slices, soaked, and then flattened and beaten to form thin slices. This is completely different from the Chinese papermaking technique. However, this kind of papyrus paper can be stored in a dry environment and is relatively cheap, so it is not only It recorded many major events of Egyptian civilization and was once an important export commodity of ancient Egypt. Even the majestic Roman Church once used papyrus to write documents, which shows its popularity.
However, it was not until 9 AD. In the 19th century, the Arabs learned papermaking techniques from China and used cheaper and better paper to completely replace papyrus. Even the method of making papyrus in Egypt was once difficult to find. Lost. It was not until modern times that the Egyptians revived the method of making papyrus. However, this ancient "paper" has preserved a large number of ancient Egyptian civilization today due to its durability in dry environments.
2. Bay leaf palm
Both are ancient civilizations. When the Egyptians used sedge to make "paper", the Indians chose it. , but it is a kind of leaf: Bay leaf palm.
Bay leaf palm is an evergreen tree that grows in India and Southeast Asia. It is also widely planted in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. The leaves, which can be up to two meters long, are a good material for writing and recording.
However, such leaves are not directly written on in the Spring and Autumn Period of China. During the Warring States Period, Indians had a complete processing method: boil fresh bay leaves in a pot with lemon, and then dry them for writing. However, Indians did not write like Chinese people, but used stylus pens. Carving words on the bay leaves and then brushing them with ink will ensure that the words can be preserved for a long time. This kind of bay leaves with special functions has also become a treasure in ancient India. Even Indian nobles gave bay leaves as gifts.
And with the spread of Buddhism, the Indian method of "Baye writing" also spread to Southeast Asia. For example, Buddhism in southwest China and even Thailand and Myanmar were originally written on Bayou. The Buddhist scriptures on the leaves spread and flourished from then on. With the spread of Buddhism, bay leaf palm was planted in large quantities in various temples in Southeast Asia. Some of the "Baye Sutras" engraved on the bay leaves can be preserved for more than a hundred years. Bayeux has also become an extremely sacred cultural symbol among people of all ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. Thanks to this special "paper", Southeast Asian culture also has a title: green leaf culture.
Of course, after such "Baye Sutra" was introduced to China, it was still conquered by Chinese local paper. Since the invention of papermaking, ancient Buddhist scriptures have also been preserved through paper documents. From the perspective of the spread and protection of civilization, the value of Chinese paper is far greater than that of Indian bay leaf palm.
3. Parchment
Compared to papyrus and bay leaf, the object that was once regarded as paper, but is the most different from paper, is parchment.
Among all kinds of foreign "papers", parchment is a very young type. It was first born in the era of the Pergamon civilization. It was developed to combat the papyrus of ancient Egypt, and then it was used in Persia. Spread with Greece and Rome. But in terms of material, it is far different from other "paper": it is not made of plants at all, but the sheepskin is soaked in lime water to remove the fat, and then stretched with a wooden frame, it becomes a The "paper" used for writing.
However, if you look at the economic situation in ancient Europe, you will know that paper is not used. It is clearly written directly on sheepskin. Writing a book basically requires one or even several sheep. It is simply a luxury item that only rich people can afford. Therefore, since the spread of parchment in Europe in the 2nd century AD, intellectual and cultural books have basically been the patent of the ruling class. Books made of parchment were only in the hands of majestic church priests. The so-called "Dark Middle Ages in Europe" has the "contribution" of this luxurious parchment.
Understanding this extreme monopoly, it is not difficult to understand why China's papermaking technology immediately caused a sensation in the European continent after it landed in Europe. Even though Europeans before the 17th century had only a superficial grasp of papermaking technology and produced only rough and difficult-to-use straw paper, they still could not stop the papermaking industry from flourishing on the European continent. Because paper, this written carrier that embodies the wisdom of the Chinese people, has truly subverted the centuries-old reading concept of Europeans and given people of all classes an equal opportunity to learn culture. Chinese papermaking was an accelerator for the explosion of modern Western civilization.
The progress of civilization is always the progress of the carrier that spreads civilization. From ancient papermaking to today's chips, the significance of core technology to national development can be said to be of the same origin. A thin piece of paper bears witness to the ancient Chinese’s world-leading wisdom and pride worthy of inheritance.