Keeping paper-making magic alive
Paper used in traditional Chinese rituals has been made by hand in the Three Gorges reservoir region for almost 3,000 years.
In Fengjie county in Chongqing, Li Shilin and his son Li Gaoqiang are still making the special paper - which is ritually burned and also used by magicians - using traditional methods.
The Li family's paper mill is the best-preserved in the region.
The paper is made from bamboo and its production involves more than 20 procedures.
Li's mill produces more than 10,000 kilos a year.
To keep the traditional process alive, Li also runs a fish-farming business, as profits from making paper are very low.
The local government is now developing Li's paper mill as a scenic spot for tourism and bidding to revive the traditional skill.
Xinhua
| Raw materials are stirred and soaked in water. Photos by Liu Chan |
| Li Gaoqiang and his father dry the paper. |
| The chopped bamboo is checked. |
| Bamboos is chopped and used as the raw material to make the paper. |
| Li Gaoqiang in a room full of paper made by him and his father. |
| Li uses a rope "zip wire" to transport paper to the opposite side of the river for selling. |
(China Daily European Weekly 01/20/2017 page4)
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