Cai Lun: The Creator of Paper
Cai Lun
was called into the Palace to serve the Emperor at the age of 15. He was smart
and studied hard. Soon he was promoted to be an attending official in charge of
documentation. At that time, documents were written either on tablets of bamboo strips or on silk. Bamboo strips were
heavy and silk were expensive. The Emperor was very unhappy about it.
Therefore, Cai Lun was
determined to find another durable material that would be good for writing
including a light-weight quality with a soft writing surface.
Cai Lun
began his experiments with all the cheap natural material that he could find
such as dry grass, bark, fishnet and old ropes. With the support from the
Emperor and the help of the imperial craftsmen, Cai Lun successfully invented "paper" after many
attempts. The innovation of paper made it possible to keep records and also
paintings.
Ming's Adventure in the Mogao Caves
The sandstorm was blowing hard over the Gobi Desert.
Xiao Ming got separated from his parents on their way to the Mogao Caves. As it was getting dark, Xiao Ming along with
the other travelers who were separated from the group were
huddling in the sand helplessly.
In the darkness of the Gobi Desert, Xiao Ming vaguely
saw a little light flashing in the dust. The light got closer and closer and
finally he saw a deer with nine shades of color in his fur. His antlers were as
white as snow and his body was wrapped with a touch of bright light. The
nine-colored deer told Xiao Ming to follow him.
The story unfolds with Ming being guided to the caves
where ancient paintings and come to life!