A Powerful Chinese Tradition ‘All Benefits Emanate From the Emperor’s Court’

“The Coming of the Book – The Impact of Printing 1450-1800” by Lucien Febvre and Henri-Jean Martin, translated by David Gerard and published by Verso p. 72:

A powerful Chinese tradition maintained that all benefits emanate from the Emperor’s Court and so the invention of paper was ascribed to the Director of the Imperial Workshops, the eunuch Tsai Lun (died 121 A.D.) but it appears certain that paper was used for writing long before Tsai Lun. It was he who reported on the subject to the Emperor (105 A.D.) and this report has survived, so his name is remembered while the efforts of many anonymous craftsmen have been forgotten.

Followed by p. 74:

Originally a craft confined to the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River, block-printing was eventually adopted by the scholars to preserve and disseminate the canonical writings. As such it was recommended officially by a government minister, Feng Tao, in a report to the Emperor. Like Tsai Lun’s, this report has survived. These two men are still credited with the honour of inventions which they did no more than bring to the notice of the Court.

As Koheles said…