Study On Traditional Handmade Papermaking Technology In North China

As Northern China is the origin of paper, the papermaking technique there has a long history. After a long time development, the papermaking technique in Northern China has formed its own technological system which is strikingly different from the technique in the South. In Northern China, barks and hemp are widely used as the raw materials. The implements used in the stage of pulping are relatively simple. The subsidence-type dipping-vat and drying the paper under the sun reflect the uniqueness of papermaking technique in Northern ChinaIn the past, the traditional papermaking industry was a important rural sideline and widely distributed in Northern China. The handmade paper was regarded as common household paper which widely used in writing, pasting, packaging and also used as sacrificial paper. The handmade paper there was closely related to the daily life of local residents. However, with the change of the social environment, the traditional papermaking has started to lose its living space. In recent thirty years, many papermaking mills in the North were shutdown. The traditional papermaking technique in Northern China is on the verge of extinction.In order to increase the understanding of the traditional papermaking technique in Northern China as a significant intangible cultural heritage, and to find a feasible method for its protection, different research methods are used. By combined the studying of historical literature with field investigation and experimental analysis, the development and the characteristics of the papermaking technique in the North are discussed. Moreover, on the theory of intangible cultural heritage, the values of the craft are summarized.The results revealed that several primitive elements are actually retained in this traditional technique and reflect the early developing forms of hand-made papermaking technique. In the same time, the papermaking technique in Northern China is influenced by the local agricultural production and the climate obviously and it has significant regional characteristics. It also reflects that since the centre position moved to the South during Song and Yuan dynasties, the papermaking technique in the North has degenerated.The results of the durability investigation showed that after accelerated ageing (105℃) for 60 days, paper which used barks as the only raw material and made by traditional technique, had better permanence. If the papermakers improve the quality of the products, the handmade paper in the North is able to satisfy the requirement of painting and calligraphy and can also be provided for the restoration of cultural relics.Therefore, in addition to maintain the traditional craft, the protection of traditional papermaking technique in Northern China should pay more attention to the production. The protection strategies should be based on the current situation of those techniques. Only in this way, the hand papermaking industry in Northern China can develop independently.