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)