China's handmade paper has a glorious past. So far, it is second to none in terms of origin, variety and output. However, at the same time, there are some problems to be solved in the current situation of China's handmade paper. If some problems are not solved well, they may also affect the survival of handmade paper in the future, At the same time, it brings irreparable losses to the protection of this cultural heritage.
Traditional papermaking sites are generally located in hilly areas with beautiful mountains and rivers. The mountains can provide papermaking raw materials, and streams can provide indispensable high-quality water sources for papermaking. At the same time, the income from papermaking can make up for the lack of income caused by the low yield of crops in mountainous areas. However, with the improvement of traffic conditions in mountainous areas and the continuous development of urbanization in various places, migrant workers have become the choice of most rural young people. Relatively speaking, manual papermaking has high labor intensity and low income. There is a common problem of no successor. Even people who used to make a living from papermaking have to change careers due to sales problems. For example, Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi have always been the areas where traditional papermaking is concentrated. It can be said that China's papermaking history is impossible to talk about without this area. It is still the main producing area of handmade paper in China. However, this area is also an area with rapid economic development. Rural urbanization and industrialization make the disappearance of traditional papermaking technology more rapid than other areas. In northern China, after the Song Dynasty, with the southward movement of China's papermaking center, handmade papermaking showed a declining trend, but there are still many areas that continue to modern times, and the handmade paper produced mainly meets the daily needs of the region. The handmade papermaking technology in the north is of great value to the study of the development of papermaking technology in China. In some areas, the traditional papermaking technology is retained in the original flavor of reduced juice, such as Zhifang village in Qufu, Shandong Province, which is also rare in the south. In recent years, the use of these paper for pasting windows has been declining, and in the movement of "withdrawing villages and living together" carried out in the name of "new rural construction", most of the traditional paper industry are facing a devastating blow, so it is urgent to formulate effective rescue protection measures.
Throughout the country, there are still a large number of living remains of manual papermaking. But it disappeared quickly, especially some handmade paper production technologies originally used for writing and printing. If there is no reasonable and effective key protection measures, the result will be the burning of jade and stone, leaving a permanent regret. In the current protection of traditional papermaking technology, there are some problems of unclear goal and improper method to a certain extent. One of the reasons is the vague understanding of the value of traditional papermaking technology. At present, the designation of intangible cultural heritage at all levels mainly depends on local declaration and expert evaluation. Whether it is selected or not is related to the enthusiasm of each region to declare. Due to the lack of national census and evaluation, some selected projects are far from traditional technologies and have low value, while some projects that need to be protected are not selected due to local inactivity. Therefore, at this stage, it is urgent to establish a reasonable value evaluation system of traditional papermaking technology based on the general survey by comparing and studying the local traditional papermaking technology from the aspects of raw materials, processes, tools, the use value of paper, historical and cultural connotation and so on. In order to determine the key projects that need to be supported and protected, the state and governments at all levels, together with experts, treat them differently according to their unique values, determine reasonable protection measures, and concentrate on preserving a number of traditional papermaking technologies with important value in all aspects. If some traditional technologies reflect the characteristics of a certain stage in the development of papermaking technology, and some tools and methods have characteristics, they should be protected according to their value. The paper produced by some traditional technologies has characteristics and still has important uses, such as rice paper and Lianshi paper. We should carry out scientific research on traditional technologies and make reasonable improvement without changing the paper quality to achieve sustainable development.
Due to the exclusion of machine-made paper, handmade paper is no longer used as general writing paper and printing paper, and some have become synonymous with low-grade paper such as toilet paper and fan credit paper. Although the manufacturing technology of these papers is also worth studying, they can not represent the technological level of traditional papermaking.
The more high-grade calligraphy and painting paper is facing the deterioration of manufacturing technology. Handmade paper is increasingly becoming an empty shell, which is constantly stuffed with the connotation of machine-made paper. In order to reduce costs and gain advantages in price competition, the manual paper manufacturing process in many places has continuously absorbed the technology of mechanical papermaking, which has undergone great changes compared with the traditional process. Some even only papermaking is manual, and the key raw material processing steps are completely the same as machine-made paper. Even rice paper and Lianshi paper, which represent the high level of Chinese handmade paper, are using caustic soda and bleach in the process of raw material cooking and bleaching. The research shows that the above changes have had a significant adverse impact on the paper and durability of handmade paper. In view of this, in recent years, some areas have tried to restore the traditional process that has disappeared for many years, improve paper quality and meet high-level needs. For example, Qianshan in Jiangxi Province, jointly funded by the government and enterprises, has set up a Liansi paper traditional skills training institute, restoring the traditional skills that have disappeared for 20 years. However, in order to reach the historical high level of paper quality, we still need more support from all aspects.
Before liberation, the production and sales of handmade paper were coordinated by local paper industry associations and other industry associations. After liberation, the production, acquisition and sales were arranged by local supply and marketing cooperatives under the macro management of local light industry and handicraft bureaus, which was relatively stable for a period of time. However, after entering the 1990s, with the shrinkage of handmade paper production, the liberalization of sales and the weakening of management institutions, the production and sales of handmade paper fell into a state of disorder. We can only rely on a limited number of fairs and sales promotion to open sales. Merchants and users who need some kind of handmade paper often don't know where to buy it, while producers of handmade paper are worried about the market, and there are many people who are difficult to sustain due to poor market. In this regard, we need to learn from the experience of foreign countries, especially Japan. We need national or local organizations such as the Japan handicraft and paper manufacturers association to coordinate production and communicate information. At the same time, in addition to some traditional technologies that need to be protected as is, for most handmade paper manufacturers, we should actively expand the use of handmade paper, not only limited to traditional calligraphy, painting and writing paper, but also develop new fields such as decoration and handicrafts to improve their viability. In this regard, Guizhou has successful experience in manual papermaking.
At present, the researchers of handmade paper are mainly concentrated in scientific research institutes, universities, museums and libraries related to the history of science and technology, papermaking engineering and cultural heritage, such as the Institute of the history of natural sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of pulping and papermaking, Fudan University, the University of science and technology of China, the Beijing University of science and technology, the Forbidden City Museum and the National Library, Relevant organizations include the paper History Committee of China paper society, etc.
For a long time, the research on handmade paper is in a relatively low stage, such as simple process recording, simple physical and chemical analysis and so on. Moreover, at that time, many studies were mainly to improve paper production efficiency and reduce costs. At present, there is a lack of scientific and accurate investigation records for traditional papermaking technology. Everywhere, many unique skills taught orally and heart from generation to generation have disappeared in the conservative consciousness of "not transmitting to outsiders". At the same time, the scientific research from the perspective of the protection and development of traditional technology is still in its infancy. The researchers, users and producers of handmade paper lack a platform for mutual communication. As a result, some studies are divorced from reality, which is difficult to provide effective reference for the sustainable development of handmade paper.
It is gratifying that in China, both the government and the people have begun to pay attention to the above issues. For example, with the support of the State Science and Technology Commission and organized and implemented by the State Administration of cultural relics, the traditional papermaking technology research part of the national scientific research project "compass plan" aimed at deeply exploring the value of ancient Chinese traditional science and technology has carried out the construction of manual papermaking inheritance base and the excavation of the scientific value of ancient paper. UNESCO has started a five-year project on paper protection methods and traditional paper manufacturing in East Asia, which has effectively promoted the scientific research and protection of traditional paper technology. Some governments at all levels have included the manufacture of handmade paper in the intangible cultural heritage list and began planning for protection. Visionary manufacturers also began to resume the manufacturing of traditional craft handmade paper as a project with development potential. With the development of China's economy and the improvement of cultural level, the demand for high-quality handmade paper is also expanding. It can be predicted that in the near future, there will be a period of revival and steady development of handmade paper.
