A centuries-old tradition of making delicate rice paper that was
used in imperial courts is seeking state support amid climbing
costs and declining production.
"Unless the situation is remedied, our descendants will only be
able to recall the past glory in museums," said Zhou Jiehua, head
of the Cultural Heritage Bureau in Jiajiang County, southwest
China's Sichuan Province.
The "glory" he referred to is a 1,000-year-old tradition of
making handmade paper native to his county. Bamboo is used as the
raw material to make fine grain paper that was once used during
imperial exams and is now used by 60 percent of China's painters
and calligraphers.
Zhou said the traditional technique involves a 72-step process.
"Only five of the 1,000 paper mills in the county are still
strictly following these manual procedures -- all the others have
simplified the production process to cut costs and time."
The technique dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In its
heyday in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the
county's paper output made up 30 percent of the country's
total.
"Around 1,700, Emperor Kang Xi chose the handmade paper from
Jiajiang county as the only paper for imperial exams in Beijing and
merchants from across the nation flooded here each year to buy the
paper," said Zhou.
Today, the industry employs some 7,500 people in Jiajiang
County, about 60 percent of the local population but a sharp
decline compared with 40,000 workers employed in the 1930s, said
Zhou.
Shen Liujun, 46, is one of the few people who still strictly
follows the 72 steps. His cottage industry, in the outlying
mountainous areas of the county, produces three tons of rice paper
a year, a mere sheaf of paper compared to the county's annual
output of 5,000 tons.
Maintaining traditional production techniques means low output
and big disadvantages for Shen in the fierce market competition.
"If the traditional paper-making technique is inscribed in the
national cultural heritage list, his family will get some
government support to help preserve the traditional handiwork,"
Zhou told Xinhua in an interview.
The county has applied to include the technology into China's
first group of intangible cultural heritage, a final list of which
will be announced on June 10, when the country marks it the first
National Cultural Heritage Day, said Zhou.
Huayi Paper Mill, one of the bigger paper-making businesses that
employs 20 people, has simplified the production process to improve
productivity.
"It used to take six months to go through all the traditional 72
steps. The steaming and boiling processes alone take seven days and
seven nights," said Xu Anfu, who owns the mill. "We've omitted
nearly 50 steps and it now takes only a month. But the quality of
the product is not the same."
Besides lower quality, Zhou said the industry is facing many
other problems including a lack of raw material and professionals.
The process also produces a lot of waste and pollution.
"There used to be several thousand hectares of bamboo forests in
the county but now we have to buy bamboo from other counties and
even from neighboring Yunnan Province," Zhou said.
The traditional methods of the industry demand strenuous
physical labour but low profits also mean low pay, so very few
young people are interested in jobs in this field, said Xu
Anfu.
"The four best craftsmen at my workshop are all in their 40s.
Their knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation
within their families," he said. "But their sons are unlikely to
carry it forward."
The industry is also facing growing pressure because of the
waste it produces. It was blamed for polluting local rivers and
lakes and the county government has spent 300,000 yuan (US$37,500)
to repair the damages on the local environment, said Zhou.
"We hope state protection (if the craft is included into the
country's cultural heritage list) will help us better tackle the
problems," he said.
China also plans to restore some traditional paper-making
workshops to preserve the ancient techniques rather than to make
profits, he added. "We've also compiled a booklet on the
traditional paper-making procedures and have collected antique
tools."?
He said these will hopefully help the outlying county draw more
tourists and improve the local people's quality of life.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2006)
