Handicraftsman in Shaanxi: the legend of handmade paper in Chang’an Beizhang

As one of the four major inventions in ancient China, papermaking has a continuous history of more than 1,900 years. Nowadays, with the domination of modern industrial paper production around the world, the traditional handmade paper industry has already faded out the history with fewer and fewer practitioners. At the foot of the Qinling Mountains, in the third group of Beizhang Village in Chang’an District, Zhang Fengxue’s family are still guarding the production of handmade paper from the bark of paper mulberry in his 100-year-old workshop.

The 79-year-old Zhang Fengxue was born into a family of papermakers. At 9 years old, he started to learn these skills from his father, and later operated independently when he was 13. The technique that uses the natural bark of paper mulberry to make pulp and bamboo paper has followed the ancient method of his family without any change so far.

To make such paper, the natural bark of paper mulberry must be first steamed, softened and then soaked to extract fiber, and the whole process consists of more than ten working procedures such as washing, mashing, flapping, papermaking, drying, and tearing. The process to make one piece of paper, from steaming to drying takes a whole day with cumbersome procedures and low output. The family can only make more than 300 sheets a day.

Paper made from the natural bark of paper mulberry has good breathability due to the long and tough fibers. By adding traditional Chinese medicine to the formula, such paper is not likely to mildew or rot even in the damp.

The handmade paper is sold at 5 yuan per sheet, while the bamboo paper made from wood pulp by machines is sold at 2 yuan, and part of the recycled paper is only sold for 0.7 or 0.8 yuan. “What matters in the market is the price not the quality.” said Zhang Fengxue helplessly. The Zhangs, fortunately, have a number of regular customers, and the monthly sale of about 2,000 pieces supports the whole family.

Since 2015, Zhang Fengxue has devoted himself to teaching these skills to his grandson. Since there are no written instructions to follow, the skills can only be taught by dictation and practice. The swinging intensity of the screen during the process of papermaking and the timing of getting out of water directly affect the thickness and evenness of the paper. It takes a long time to practice repeatedly to form a fixed hand feel. Zhang Fengxue believes that in addition to diligence, learning skills also requires talent. Zhang Gang, the grandson of Zhang Fengxue, has done a good job. He has mastered several key techniques of producing handmade paper and is able to operate independently.