Research On Raw Materials And Papermaking Technology Of Site Sizhou Song Dynasty Paper Mill In Fuyang

As one ofthe Four Great Inventions of ancient China,paper-making technology is of tremendous use in promoting the civilization development.The Song Dynasty Paper Mill at Sizhou is located in Fuyang District,Hangzhou city,Zhejiang Province.The paper mill can be traced back to the middle and late period of South Song Dynasty.A series of paper-making relics are distributed from south to north.of those so far discovered,the paper mill is the earliest and most complete paper mill of the largest scale and was bestowed as the major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level.Song Dynasty is the comprehensive maturation phase of paper-making technology when a chain of monographs on papers sprang up,however the paper-making technology were not in record.Fuyang,where the paper mill located,is the most important paper-producing area in Zhejiang.Processed plant fiber is the foundation of paper structure.The discovery of plant fiber is the most efficient and direct evidence of papermaking raw material and papermaking function of a paper mill.There have been no documents of extracting plant fibers from soil so far.Hence,work as follows were carried out:1.In the research,the soil in the paper mill and paper pulp were mixed as the simulated samples.Referred to the methods from papermaking industry and Archaeobotany,filtration method and heavy liquid floating method were used to extract the paper pulp from the simulated samples,so that the fiber extraction method was established.2.The fiber extraction method was applied to the extraction work of the paper fibers in the Sizhou paper mill.Bamboo fibers and mulberry fibers were found in several relics and the surfaces of stone tools.Traces of artificial managements on the fibers were found,which have highly correlation with papermaking technological process.Therefore,through the judgment of bamboo fibers and mulberry fibers as products of artificial pulping,papermaking foundation of the site were verified.3.Through the study of fiber proportion,the research determined the production patterns which were mainly bamboo fibers and a small amount of mulberry fiber.Combining with ancient books and the detection analysis of ancient paper samples in Song Dynasty,there were also research into the universality and scientificity of paper production pattern of mixed materials.4.In the papermaking technology,papermaking technology of Sizhou paper mill was studied with tools and methods of ancient books,Archaeology,ancient paper analysis and traditional bamboo papermaking technology.The research indicates that pulping technology used in Ming and Qing Dynasty had been possessed.Besides,the pulping technology in ancient Sizhou and nowadays have both similarity and big difference.Moreover,a combination beating pattern of water-powered trip hammer,wooden stick and stone mill was found in Sizhou paper mill site.Industrial heritage is an important type of cultural heritage,and the Song Dynasty Paper Mill at Sizhou is a industrial heritage of Historical period."Technical value" of the industrial heritage is the fundamental characteristic distinguishing from other cultural heritages.The universality and uniqueness of the site are analyzed in this research.The research provided inspirations in exploring the archeological sites of paper mill,and made great significance on the history of paper making,especially on the papermaking technology.