Many people who have seen Guizhou Danzhai floral paper will never forget such a beautiful and elegant embossed paper. In fact, these beautiful and elegant Danzhai white floral papers not only have beautiful fine lines and pure natural embossing, but their papermaking method is derived from the oldest handmade papermaking method in China. If you open "Tiangong Kaiwu" written by Song Yingxing of the Ming Dynasty and turn to the article "Zhaqing" to compare it carefully, you will be surprised to find that the making of these Danzhai floral paper is actually the same as the ancient method of more than a thousand years ago. Papermaking is exactly the same.
Many Miao villages in Guizhou still retain the most primitive production and lifestyle. They work at sunrise and rest at sunset. Time flows quietly here without fighting against the world. They are today's impetuous people. The last pure land in civilization, the last bird totem tribe. In some remote villages in southeastern Guizhou, an ancient papermaking technique that has been passed down for thousands of years is preserved. According to expert research, its production technology belongs to the papermaking technology of the Tang Dynasty.
The ancestors of the Miao nationality were once the main residents of the Chu State and lived in the Central Plains. Later, they migrated long distances to Yunnan and Guizhou. They learned from the papermaking technology of the Han at that time and made use of local resources in Yunnan and Guizhou: Goupi and fir roots. and clear river water as raw materials to build original paper-making workshops. Legend has it that this ancient papermaking technique originated from Cai Lun. Therefore, people in papermaking workshops would choose auspicious days to hold grand events every year to honor Cai Lun, the originator of papermaking.
The Miao family's ancient papermaking workshop produces two types of white vellum paper and colored vellum paper. Its production process is basically consistent with the diagrams recorded in "Tiangong Kaiwu" written by Song Yingxing of the Han Dynasty. This is the conclusion reached by experts from the Chinese History Museum. It is believed that the form and structure of its druid, dredging rod, water wheel, crankshaft, etc. are exactly the same as the water dredging diagram in "Tiangong Kaiwu".
The raw materials used in the production of white paper are hemp and cedar roots. It is very similar to the "Book of the Later Han·Cai Lun Biography" which says: "Use tree skin, hemp heads, poor cloth, and fishnets as paper." It is believed to be the papermaking technology from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. It has a history of one thousand fourteen or five hundred years. In 2005, the ancient Miao papermaking craftsmanship was listed as one of the first batch of intangible cultural heritage by the state.
The ancient Miao papermaking method has formed the following basic characteristics in the long river of time:
1. Material characteristics. The textured hemp selected for the white paper is produced in the karst mountains. It has the characteristics of uniform and fine fibers and a high pulping rate. Its flexibility, good gloss and strong water absorption are the main reasons for the excellent ink wetting performance of the white paper.
2. Process characteristics. First of all, white paper requires more than 10 manual processes from raw material processing to paper. Its production skills are passed down from generation to generation only through the words and deeds of the masters, and it usually takes 3 to 10 years to master them. Secondly, the raw materials are processed using methods such as sun exposure, rain exposure, and exposure training. They are all handmade and natural, with no industrial raw materials added.
3. Product characteristics. The paper is white, flexible, tensile-resistant, flat, and highly absorbent. It is the best paper product for calligraphy and painting works.
4. Historical research value. The production of white paper can be traced back to the papermaking technology of this period in the Tang Dynasty, which has a history of one thousand fourteen to five hundred years. This is of great significance to the study of papermaking technology from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty and its political, economic, cultural and social development.
5. Cultural value. White paper has important cultural value. It is the reproduction of Chinese calligraphy and painting artworks and complements the art of calligraphy and painting. It is an indispensable carrier for cultural inheritance.
6. Craftsmanship value. The production process of white paper is complex, and each process requires high levels of delicacy and requirements. These production techniques are the crystallization of the wisdom of the Miao people's long-term labor and are difficult to be replaced by modern technology. Its scientific principles are indescribable and it is an extremely precious historical heritage.
The finished products of ancient papermaking include white paper and colored paper. Among them, colored paper can be divided into six series: Yunlong paper, wrinkled paper, embossed paper, flattened paper, floral paper and hemp silk paper.