Mulberry paper is a category ofpaper made from thebast fiber ofmulberry treebark, primarily thepaper mulberry(Broussonetia papyrifera).[1] Originating fromEast Asia, mulberry paper production spread alongSilk Road trading,Austronesian expansion and thetransmission of Buddhism, fostering unique mulberrypapermaking traditions across Asia and Oceania.[2][3]
Bark cloth has been made in China since at least 8,000 BCE.[4] The oldest recorded reference to screened paper containing mulberry fibers isCai Lun'srag paper,Cao Huo paper, from 105 CE.[5] The technique of using newbast fibers was in production in China by the 3rd centuryAD and spread to north and east where theMoraceae plants were growing (Thymelaeaceae plants were also used).[6]
Mulberry paper became the preferred writing material under theSong dynasty.[7]
Inmanuscript paper, pure mulberry content usually indicates Chinese (or even more Eastern) origin, as this is where the mulberry trees could be found at a time: while plants were also growing inoases along theSilk road, it was much more profitable to use these for cultivating thesilkworms. As a result, in regions to the west of China,rag paper technology kept being used.[8]
