Ancient Papermaking History Development Footprint in China

Paper is one of the four major inventions of ancient science and technology in China. Together with compass, gunpowder, and printing technology, it provides the basis for material and technological development for the prosperity of ancient Chinese culture.

According to research, the production of paper has begun in the Western Han Dynasty in China. In 1957, the Shaanxi Provincial Museum discovered a group of physical objects called "Bridge Bridge Paper" in the tomb of the Western Han Dynasty near the Yanqiao Bridge in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an. The time of its making was not later than the time of the Western Han Dynasty. Afterwards, the paper fragments of the Han Dynasty were excavated in Luobuyaer in Xinjiang and Juyan in Gansu. Their age was about 150 to 200 years earlier than the paper made by the eunuch Cai Lun, who was from early Eastern Han Dynasty to Yuanxing.

At the time of Emperor Xianli, Dong Lai’s Zuo Bo made improvements to the previous papermaking methods and further improved the quality of the paper. This was known as Zuo Bozhi, and among them, colored paper and senior letter paper were used.

During the period of the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, paper was widely spread and widely used by people. Papermaking technology was further improved, raw materials were also diversified, and the names of papers were numerous. Such as bamboo curtain paper, the paper surface has a clear texture, the paper is tight and thin uniform; Suixi has rattan as raw material rattan paper; Dongyang has fish egg paper, also known as fish, soft, smooth. Cai Lun Paper has a wide range of raw materials. The paper made from the rotten fish net is called net paper, and the paper made from rags is called cloth. Because the fishnet rags were classified as hemp fibers at the time, they were collectively called hemp paper.

In order to extend the lifespan of paper, Jinshi has already invented the new technology of dyeing paper. The dyed paper is called dyeing yellow paper and is naturally yellow. It is also called jute paper. Yellow paper has the function of pest control and mothproof.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the famous rice paper was born. The hard yellow papers written in the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, and the Qing Xintang papers in the Northern Song Dynasty belonged to cooked rice paper. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese calligraphy and painting were almost full of rice paper.

Tang Dynasty dyed yellow paper on the basis of the previous generation, and on the paper evenly waxed, after the dawn, so that the paper has a shiny shiny, beautiful advantages, known as hard yellow paper. There is also a kind of hard white paper. The wax is coated on the front and back sides of the base paper, and then rubbed with pebbles or curved stones to make the paper bright, lubricated, dense, and the fibers are even and delicate, slightly thicker than the hard yellow paper. In addition, mineral paper powder and waxed wax paper are added to the paper. On the basis of waxed paper and colored paper, gold, silver foil or powdered glossy paper products are produced. They are called gold foil paper, silver paper or honeysuckle. Paper, also known as cold gold paper or sprinkling gold and silver paper. There are also brightly colored and elegantly decorated stenciled paper, also known as veiled or textured paper. At the time, the paper-cut fish caviar produced in Sichuan was very popular with literati.

The five generations of papermaking industry continue to advance. The Chengxintang paper made in Quzhou has been recognized as the best paper until the Northern Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty inherited the papermaking traditions of the Tang and the Five Dynasties. There appeared a lot of papers with different textures. The papers were generally light, soft and thin. The fine papers were all made in the south of the Yangtze River, also called Jiangdong Paper. The re-use of paper began in the Southern Song Dynasty, using recycled paper as a raw material to reconstruct new paper, known as Resurrection Paper or Cooked Back Paper.

Yuan Dynasty's paper industry was dying, and it was only in the south of the Yangtze River that it still managed to maintain its old scene. In the Ming Dynasty, the paper industry flourished again. The main famous products were Xuan paper, bamboo paper, Xuande paper and Songjiang Tanjian. The papermaking process of the Qing Dynasty was further improved and became a household name. The production of the paper has reached an exquisite degree in the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, since the Jin Dynasty, the court began accepting tribute papers from neighboring countries. For example, southern Vietnam's tribute paper (or moss paper) is based on seaweed as raw material, plus sweet, warm, non-toxic side-systems. Vietnamese paper. Korean papers and chickens and papers tribute to the rulers of the past. In the Qing Dynasty, there were North Korea's Li Jinjian, Jin Lianjian, Jinghuajian, Zhuqing paper, Vietnam's moss, Japan's snow paper, Fengshou paper, Western Phnom Penh paper, mica paper, spilled paper and so on.