Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
When the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) was compiled and printed during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Qing dispatched an imperial commissioner to Jiangle to requisition paper for the printing.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Longqi Mountain National Nature Reserve in Jiangle County, Fujian Province, abounds in mao bamboo, providing rich raw material resources for papermaking. Jiangle has a long history of producing bamboo paper (also called "maobian paper"), among which the "Xishan paper" of Longqi Mountain is the most renowned. This paper became famous throughout the world as early as the Tang and Song dynasties and has a production history of more than a thousand years. The handmade production process of Xishan paper is quite elaborate, consisting of 28 process steps: cutting young bamboo, splitting the culms, peeling, sprinkling lime, soaking and bleaching, pickling and steeping, stripping the bamboo fiber, pressing, ladling into the vat (bichao), treading the material, beating the pulp (yuncao), forming the sheets, drying the sheets, sorting, and cutting. The finished Xishan paper has a fine, pliable texture; it is glossy and clean, highly absorbent, and does not suffer insect damage in long storage. It has strong ink absorption and is used for calligraphy and painting, where the ink color sets firmly and does not easily fade. In addition, Xishan paper can also be used to restore and print old and ancient books. Since modern times, Xishan paper has been exported to more than twenty countries and regions including Japan, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, and has been warmly welcomed by people of all countries.
Archival Record of Process Steps
The handmade production process of Xishan paper is quite elaborate, consisting of 28 process steps: cutting young bamboo, splitting the culms, peeling, sprinkling lime, soaking and bleaching, pickling and steeping, stripping the bamboo fiber, pressing, ladling into the vat (bichao), treading the material, beating the pulp (yuncao), forming the sheets, drying the sheets, sorting, and cutting.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The bamboo paper making craft is transmitted in the Longqi Mountain area of Jiangle County, Fujian Province. The Longqi Mountain National Nature Reserve in Jiangle County, Fujian Province, abounds in mao bamboo, providing rich raw material resources for papermaking. Jiangle has a long history of producing bamboo paper (also called "maobian paper"), among which the "Xishan paper" of Longqi Mountain is the most renowned; this paper became famous throughout the world as early as the Tang and Song dynasties and has a production history of more than a thousand years. The Jiangle County Cultural Center is the project's protecting institution.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship · Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship · Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship · Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship · Zhuzhi Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The handmade Xishan papermaking craft is an important branch of China's ancient handmade papermaking crafts and has important reference value for research on the traditional handmade papermaking crafts of Fujian and of China. Liu Yanggen (from the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in November 1957, from Jiangle County, Fujian Province. Representative inheritor of the bamboo paper making craft, a fifth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project. Bamboo paper making technician. Beginning at the age of 16, he studied Xishan paper papermaking technique under his father Liu Qichun, successively specializing in sheet baking (beizhi) and kangwei work; over about ten years he basically mastered the entire production process, including cutting bamboo, soaking and bleaching, pickling and steeping, stripping the bamboo fiber, treading the material, forming the sheets, pressing the sheets, clamping the sheets (qianzhi), and baking the sheets. He is especially skilled at pickling, washing the bamboo fiber, treading the material, and forming the sheets. He pays special attention to the papermaking environment and the quality of the water source used, ensuring that the Xishan paper he produces retains its qualities of a fine, pliable texture, glossy cleanliness, strong absorbency, and resistance to insect damage in long storage. While preserving the craft, he actively devotes himself to the training of inheritors.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Yang Zhanyao 01-0183
- Zhuang Fuquan 01-0184
- Li Faer 04-1858
- Lin Zhiwen 05-2766
- Liu Yanggen 05-2767
- Li Zhijun 05-2768
- Chen Xiujun
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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