Chen Xiujun
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Chen Xiujun, Female, Han, from Jiajiang, Sichuan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-71). The tradition is documented in Jiajiang, Sichuan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship in Jiajiang, Sichuan: Jiajiang County in Sichuan Province and Fuyang City in Zhejiang Province are important producing areas of the bamboo papermaking technique. Jiajiang bamboo paper is made by the manual paper-scooping technique; from the selection of materials to the finished sheet there are 15 stages and 72 process steps, matching the account in the "Shaqing" chapter of the Ming-dynasty Tiangong Kaiwu; the handmade calligraphy and painting paper made primarily from tender bamboo is pure white and soft, absorbs and holds ink evenly, has fine fibers, and is resilient and even, ranking alongside Anhui xuan paper. The Jiajiang County Cultural Center is the project protection unit. The environment of Jiajiang is suited to bamboo growth, and the area began handmade papermaking with bamboo materials as early as the Tang dynasty; the bamboo papermaking technique rose in the Ming dynasty and flourished in the Qing. Since the Tang dynasty, Jiajiang has enjoyed the reputation of "home of Shu paper". Jiajiang paper is famed for its excellent quality, wide variety, large scale of production, and refined technique, and was once designated as tribute paper by the Kangxi Emperor. Fuyang in Zhejiang has long been known as the "home of local paper"; its bamboo papermaking technique began in the Southern Song and has been handed down from generation to generation for more than a thousand years. Among these, Changshan paper received the highest special-product title from the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce in 1915 and a second prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition, and a third prize at the 1926 Beijing National Products Exhibition; Jingfang paper received a second prize at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition and a third prize at the 1926 Beijing National Products Exhibition; Yuanshu paper and Wujin paper received special prizes at the 1929 Hangzhou West Lake Exposition; and Shuhuang paper and Wuqian Yuanshu paper received first prizes at the 1929 West Lake Exposition.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Chen Xiujun is anchored in the documented technical standards of Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship in Jiajiang, Sichuan. Within the documented technical tradition of Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship in Jiajiang, Sichuan: Papermaking is one of the four great inventions of ancient China; Jiajiang County in Sichuan Province and Fuyang City in Zhejiang Province are important producing areas of bamboo paper. Jiajiang bamboo paper is made by the manual paper-scooping technique; from the selection of materials to the finished sheet there are 15 stages and 72 process steps, matching the account in the "Shaqing" chapter of the Ming-dynasty work Tiangong Kaiwu. Made primarily from tender bamboo, Jiajiang handmade calligraphy and painting paper is pure white and soft, absorbs and holds ink evenly, has fine fibers, and is resilient and even; it is as renowned as Anhui xuan paper and was praised by the master of Chinese painting Zhang Daqian as one of the "two treasures of the nation". Although more than a thousand papermaking workshops remain throughout Jiajiang County, production of traditional handmade paper in the strict sense is now rarely seen. Fuchun bamboo paper is characterized by its soft texture; even after being rolled and unrolled for a long time the ink does not smudge, and it is not easily bored by insects. Historically, renowned Fuchun bamboo papers emerged in succession, sold throughout the country and exported to Japan, Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and other countries. On the basis of inheriting China's traditional papermaking craft, Fuchun bamboo paper has formed a complete set of distinctive production techniques, such as the "human urine fermentation method" in pulping and the "screen-swaying, wave-beating" (danglan dalang) method in sheet forming; these are unique skills of Fuyang bamboo paper production, found in no other bamboo paper producing area. The Fuchun bamboo papermaking technique is a crystallization of the wisdom of Fuyang papermaking artisans formed through long production practice, and an important case study in inheriting and carrying forward the great ancient Chinese invention of papermaking. Alongside the transmission of the Fuchun papermaking craft, the Fuyang area has also given rise to folk-cultural content such as the annual sacrifice to Cai Lun, paper workers' proverbs, mountain songs, and the long folk narrative ballad "Zhu San and Liu Erjie", showing that Fuyang's papermaking craft contains profound historical and cultural connotations. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival record of process steps": Jiajiang bamboo paper is made by the manual paper-scooping technique; from the selection of materials to the finished sheet there are 15 stages and 72 process steps, matching the account in the "Shaqing" chapter of the Ming-dynasty work Tiangong Kaiwu.
Archival record of process steps
Jiajiang bamboo paper is made by the manual paper-scooping technique; from the selection of materials to the finished sheet there are 15 stages and 72 process steps, matching the account in the "Shaqing" chapter of the Ming-dynasty work Tiangong Kaiwu.
Core Technique I
Papermaking is one of the four great inventions of ancient China;
Core Technique II
Jiajiang County in Sichuan Province and Fuyang City in Zhejiang Province are important producing areas of bamboo paper.
Core Technique III
Jiajiang bamboo paper is made by the manual paper-scooping technique;
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Chen Xiujun was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship, with Jiajiang, Sichuan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship in Jiajiang, Sichuan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Jiajiang, Sichuan as its declared area, and Jiajiang County Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The environment of Jiajiang is suited to bamboo growth, and the area began handmade papermaking with bamboo materials as early as the Tang dynasty; the bamboo papermaking technique rose in the Ming dynasty and flourished in the Qing. Since the Tang dynasty, Jiajiang has enjoyed the reputation of "home of Shu paper". Jiajiang paper is famed for its excellent quality, wide variety, large scale of production, and refined technique, and was once designated as tribute paper by the Kangxi Emperor.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yang Zhanyao | Jiajiang, Sichuan | 01-0183 | Same declared area |
| Zhuang Fuquan | Fuyang, Zhejiang | 01-0184 | Other regional school |
| Li Faer | Fuyang, Zhejiang | 04-1858 | Other regional school |
| Lin Zhiwen | Wenzhoushiouhai, Zhejiang | 05-2766 | Other regional school |
| Liu Yanggen | Jiangle, Fujian | 05-2767 | Other regional school |
| Li Zhijun | Longhui, Hunan | 05-2768 | Other regional school |
| Chen Xiujun | Jiajiang, Sichuan | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。