Pizhi Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Taking the bamboo paper produced in Xiangzhigou as an example, the technique is said to have begun in the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty, giving it a history of more than six hundred years to the present day. The white cotton paper produced in Xiaotun, Zhenfeng County, originated in the Xianfeng era of the Qing dynasty; until the end of the last century, more than a thousand households throughout the township were still engaged in scooping paper production.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Papermaking is one of the four great inventions of ancient China; bamboo paper, made from bamboo, and bark paper, made from paper mulberry bark, are two important varieties of traditional handmade paper. Guizhou is a region inhabited by ethnic minorities, and many areas of the province still preserve the ancient techniques of making traditional bamboo paper and bark paper. Among them, the techniques of Xiangzhigou in Guiyang (Buyi ethnic group), Xiaotun in Zhenfeng County, and Shiqiao in Danzhai County (Miao ethnic group) are the most outstanding. The complete set of operations comprises 72 process steps — cutting bamboo, splitting bamboo, retting bamboo, steaming and boiling, grinding bamboo slivers, pulping, scooping paper, pressing, and drying — identical in every respect to the papermaking method recorded in Song Yingxing's Tiangong Kaiwu. The finished product is soft yet tough, bears hidden bamboo-fiber markings, and gives off a faint fragrance. The paper produced there uses paper mulberry bark as its raw material; the complete operation likewise passes through 72 process steps, and the finished paper is soft and tough, even, and moistly supple. The white bark paper produced in Shiqiao, Danzhai County, likewise uses paper mulberry bark and fir roots as raw materials, and colored paper is also produced, in six varieties including cloud-dragon crepe, raised-and-indented (embossed), pressed-flat, flower-and-grass, and hemp paper. Its production process generally involves more than ten stages. In manufacture the cotton-like pulp is diluted with water, a slippery mucilage (hua yao) is added and stirred evenly, and the sheet is formed by scooping, pressing, sun-drying, and peeling before being packaged as the finished product; the paper is soft and tough, glossy and smooth, and highly water-resistant. All the handmade papers described above place strict demands on raw materials, water quality, and workmanship. The transmission of the technique relies entirely on oral instruction and personal example, and alongside the craft itself it has given rise to rich paper-industry customs, including the annual worship of Cai Lun, the grand master of papermaking. In light of these facts, the related bamboo-paper and bark-paper making techniques have become important evidence of cultural diversity and ethnic identity.
Archival Record of Process Steps
The complete set of operations comprises 72 process steps — cutting bamboo, splitting bamboo, retting bamboo, steaming and boiling, grinding bamboo slivers, pulping, scooping paper, pressing, and drying — identical in every respect to the papermaking method recorded in Song Yingxing's Tiangong Kaiwu.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The bark paper making technique is preserved in many parts of Guizhou, with the techniques of Xiangzhigou in Guiyang (Buyi ethnic group), Xiaotun in Zhenfeng County, and Shiqiao in Danzhai County (Miao ethnic group) being the most outstanding. Guizhou is a region inhabited by ethnic minorities, and many areas of the province still preserve the ancient techniques of making traditional bamboo paper and bark paper. The Cultural Heritage Protection Service Center of Wudang District, Guiyang, is the protection unit for this project.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Pizhi Making Craftsmanship · Pizhi Making Craftsmanship · Pizhi Making Craftsmanship · Pizhi Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
However, under the powerful impact of the modern paper industry, the transmission of these complex and difficult-to-learn ancient papermaking methods has become a problem, and rescue and protection are required. Luo Shouquan (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Buyi ethnic group, born in 1942, from Guiyang, Guizhou. Representative inheritor of the bark paper making technique, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project of the first batch. The Luo family has a papermaking history of more than two hundred years and is the family in the village with the longest papermaking history and the highest prestige. The rustic paper made by Luo Shouquan carries a faint bamboo fragrance; the sheets are even and smooth, with fine fibers. He still abides by his ancestors' rule that the rustic papermaking technique is transmitted to men but not to women, and so far has passed the technique on only to his own son.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Luo Shouquan 01-0179
- Liu Shiyang 01-0180
- Wang Xingwu 03-1330
- Wan Aizhu 04-1855
- Zhang Shifeng 05-2764
- Pan Yuhua 05-2765
- Hu Zongliang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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