Xuan paper is a traditional paper for painting and calligraphy in China, and it is one of the traditional paper-making processes of Han nationality. Xuan paper "began in the Tang Dynasty and was produced in Jingxian County". Since the Tang Dynasty, Jingxian County was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture, and it was named Xuan Paper because of its land. It has a history of 1500 years.
In 2002, Jingxian County, Xuancheng, Anhui Province was identified as the origin of rice paper by the state. In 2006, the production technology of Xuan paper was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. On September 30, 2009, the traditional production skills of Xuan paper were affirmed by UNESCO and included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind.
The excellent performance of Xuan paper can not be separated from the rigorous and meticulous production process, mild treatment conditions, proper use of glue, skillful paper fishing and superb paper drying, thus ensuring the quality of Xuan paper.
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The record of Xuan paper was first seen in the chapter "On Painting Style and Making a Bed" in Notes on Famous Paintings of Past Dynasties written by Zhang Yanyuan, a famous scholar in the Tang Dynasty (AD 8 15-875), "A good man should put hundreds of Xuan papers in wax for copying ...".
A long time ago, it was said that Cai Lun's apprentice, a papermaker named Kong Dan, always wanted to make a beautiful piece of white paper, inherit the teacher's career and draw a portrait of the master. However, repeated experiments failed. After some planning, Kong Dan packed his bags, took up his umbrella, bid farewell to his loved ones, traveled all over Wan Li Road, visited teachers and friends, learned skills and fulfilled his wish.
One day, he came to Xuanzhou Prefecture (now Jingxian County, Anhui Province), stepped on a muddy path and continued to move forward in the misty rain. Suddenly, Kong Dan felt his eyes shine. In the gray mountain fog, he found that there seemed to be a snow-white thing in the stream beside the ditch! He got there in three steps and two steps, and bent down to take a closer look: Oh, it turned out that some branches fell into the ravine and were soaked by the perennial gurgling stream.
Over time, 15 turned white. Kong Dan hesitated for a moment, and a series of question marks came to his mind: What tree is this? What kind of water is this? What is this place ... Kong Dan decided to stay. He went up the mountain to get firewood and build a hut, and asked the woodcutter and villagers around him. Running water is like years, and three years have passed in a flash.
Kong Dan finally figured it out. This evergreen tree growing in all seasons is called Pteroceltis tatarinowii. This is a local specialty and rarely grows in other places. Sandalwood fiber is soft and slender, and its personality is suitable for papermaking. The streams in this mountain are also unusual. The water quality is crystal clear, flowing out of the grotesque cave and then splitting into two streams.
A stream of water is suitable for pulping (it was later learned that this stream contains alkali); Another stream was used to make paper (it was later learned that this stream contained acid). This is the ingenious arrangement of nature, which is unique. After years of unremitting efforts, Kong Dan and his friends took the bark of Pteroceltis tatarinowii as raw material, carefully processed it, and first dispersed the fiber in the stream.
Then the fibers are fished out of the water, interwoven on the bamboo curtain (the remaining water leaks out), squeezed and dried, and the excellent rice paper with excellent quality is made. The 32-word formula of rice paper appreciated by later generations is: white fiber, flexible texture, bright and clean color, fine texture, clear ink, no rubbing damage, pest resistance and long paper life.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Xuan Paper