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Handmade Paper

Updated: 2012-05-16 18:11

By Zhou Yuyi ( chinaculture.org)

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Wooden screen used for draining the papers[Photo/chinaculture]

Papermaking, designed by Cai Lun, is one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China. However, fewer and fewer people are practicing the handicraft.

During the papermaking process, draining the paper from the water with a screen is the most important step.

Along the Qin River in Henan province, draining paper was popular in ancient times. Although residents are uncertain of the origins of the handicraft, almost every home along the river had workhouses in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The screen is lifted out of the water, and the white substance left on it is the paper.[Photo/chinaculture]

To drain the paper, the artisans hold a wire screen in a wooden frame, place it into the water which contains pulp, and then level it out after it is submerged. They then wait until most of the water has drained while gently wiggling it side-to-side until the pulp on top of the screen looks even. The white substance filtered through the screen will become a sheet of paper after drying.

However, the process is easier said than done. The raw materials for papermaking are cloth, straw, wood or bark of trees. The artisan needs to first dilute these materials in water and following dozens of more steps, paper can finally be made. The handmade papers are soft and suitable for wrapping herbs and foods. Some of them are also used for writing.

Large machines started to take the place of manual papermaking in the late 1970s. Handmade paper began to gradually disappear. If no precautions are taken to prevent it from vanishing completely, the future for manual papermaking will be bleak.

Handmade Paper

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