Many who argue that Cai Lun invented paper point to a passage in the Hou Han Shu, an ancient history of the Later (" Eastern ") Han dynasty which states that it was actually very fine silk, not paper, that was used prior to Cai Lun's time.
人們所以認為蔡倫發明造紙，因為《後漢書．蔡倫傳》明確地指出蔡倫以前的紙，實際上是縑帛。