The King of Paper—Xuan Paper 纸中之王—宣纸

刘念

Xuan paper， also known as fine Xuan paper， reed（ 芦苇） paper， orbamboo paper， is one of the four treasures of the study. It originated in theTang Dynasty and was produced in Jing County， Xuancheng， Anhui Province.It has a history of over 1500 years.

According to records about Xuan paper， a long time ago， a papermakernamed Kong Dan was considered a disciple（ 弟子）of Cai Lun， who hadalways wanted to create a high-quality paper. So Kong Dan decided to carryhis packing and explore methods. One day， he arrived at Xuanzhou in AnhuiProvince. On the way， he found some branches falling into the mountainvalley， soaking（ 浸泡） in a continuous stream of water. After a few days， theyrotted（ 腐爛） and turned white. He was very puzzled about thisand decided to stay and explore the truth. Finally，he found out the root cause and made determinedefforts to make quite a good Xuan paper.

Nowadays， the production process of Xuanpaper is complex and fine， including 108 steps.Such superb Xuan paper -making techniques have been listed as a NationalIntangible Cultural Heritage. Later， the unique Xuan paper is introduced toother regions and receives praise both domestically and internationally.

Xuan paper has been known since ancient times as the “king of paper，millennium longevity paper”（ 纸中之王、千年寿纸）. Because of thisspecial Xuan paper， we are fortunate to see the ancient ink treasures.

Xuan paper is mainly used for writing and painting. And it has beenrevered and loved by men of letters（ 文人墨客）. In addition， many foreignenthusiasts of calligraphy（ 书法） and Chinese paintings also use Xuanpaper to create their works.

The influential Anhui Xuan paper has brought innovation anddevelopment to traditional calligraphy and painting art， allowing ancientbooks to be passed down and reproduced， and precious document materialsto be restored， preserved， and circulated（ 流传）.