Yuexi Mulberry Bark Paper

Yuexi Mulberry Bark Paper

Yuexi mulberry bark paper is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Yuexi mulberry bark paper is a specialty of Yuexi County, Anqing, Anhui Province.

　　Yuexi mulberry bark paper is made from the bark of mulberry trees primarily grown in Maojianshan Township, located in the heart of the Dabie Mountains within Yuexi County, Anhui. The paper is produced through over 30 traditional manual processes. The history of producing mulberry bark paper in Yuexi County goes back a long way — for more than 1,700 years.

　　Yuexi mulberry bark paper features fine and dense fibers, clear texture, exceptional durability, a smooth yet not slippery surface, strong water absorption, and pure white color. It has distinct ink gradation and is resistant to rot and insects. Authentic Yuexi mulberry bark paper contains no less than 80% mulberry bark fiber, although the ratio can also be customized according to contract requirements or buyer specifications. Today, it is mainly used for mounting calligraphy and paintings, restoring ancient texts, crafting traditional interior wall coverings for architecture, and making cultural handicrafts.

　　In 2008, the craft of making mulberry bark paper was included in the national intangible cultural heritage protection list. In 2009, Mr. Wang Bolin, from a family of papermakers in Maojianshan Township, Yuexi County, was awarded the title of “National Representative Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage” for this craft, becoming one of only a few such inheritors in China.

　　Papermaking is one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China. Mulberry bark paper is also known as bark paper, Han dynasty bark paper, or genealogy paper. The “Posthumous Tales of the Later Han” in the Jin Dynasty, written by Wang Jia, records: “(Jia Kui) peeled mulberry bark from the courtyard to make writing slips, sometimes inscribing them on door screens while reciting and memorizing.” This shows that people in the Eastern Han Dynasty were already aware that mulberry bark could be used for writing. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Yijian (958–996 AD) wrote in Volume 4 of “Wenfang Sipu” (The Four Treasures of the Study): “Lei Kongzhang’s great-grandson Mu, still had a letter from Zhang Hua to his ancestor, which was written on mulberry root bark.” Zhang Hua lived from 232 to 300 AD, indicating that the production history of mulberry bark paper is at least 1,700 years old.

　　The “Annals of Anqing Prefecture · Food and Commodities · Produce” from the 33rd year of the Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty (1554 AD) states: “Qianshan produces much tea, lacquer, cotton, and paper.” This indicates that Qianshan’s papermaking industry had become a local “brand” by the mid-Ming Dynasty. The “Annals of Anqing Prefecture · Geography · Products” in the 60th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1721 AD) says: “Paper is made from paper mulberry and is called bark paper.” The “Annals of Qianshan County · Food and Commodities · Products” from the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920 AD) states: “Paper made from paper mulberry and other barks is called bark paper… Paper made from Jiangxi mulberry bark is called genealogy paper… Among them, Huajian is the finest, not inferior to products from Jiangxi.” These records indicate that Qianshan produced mulberry bark paper in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, with quality comparable to that from Jiangxi.

　　The “Annals of Anqing Region” under the entries for “Papermaking and Printing” states: “Yuexi, Qianshan, Taihu, and Guichi have a history of producing local Han bark paper, genealogy paper, white hemp paper, and calligraphy paper. During the Republican period, Guichi County had 25 paper mills. In 1949, Yuexi County had 191 paper vats, with an output of 71 tons.” The Han bark paper and genealogy paper mentioned here refer to mulberry bark paper.

　　The “Yuexi County Annals” (1978–2002) record: “This county has a long history of papermaking. In September of the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936), there were 155 paper vats in the county. In the 28th year (1939), there were 40 paper vats in areas such as Laibang River and Changpushi River in Heshang Village, producing Han bark paper and silver bark paper. In the 32nd year (1943), the number of paper vats increased to 166, but production declined due to the war. By the 35th year (1946), the number dropped to 150. At the end of the 37th year (1948), it sharply decreased to 80. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, manual and machine-based papermaking developed in parallel. In 1951, there were 114 paper vats, employing over 6,900 people, with an annual output of 30,000 reams of bark paper… Rural paper vats were most numerous in Maojianshan Township, with up to 300 vats operating during peak winter idle periods.” From these records, we can see that Yuexi’s papermaking industry flourished during the Republican era, reaching its peak with over 300 vats in Maojianshan Township alone. Handmade papermaking became an important livelihood for locals. The “Brief Chronicles of Yuexi Townships” note: “Particularly in Banshe area of Banshan Township, it was known as the ‘Hometown of Bark Paper.’ A local saying — ‘Willow switches of Fangchong, paper vats of Banshe…’ — reflects the thriving and far-reaching influence of the local paper industry.”

　　Wang Bolin, the national intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Yuexi mulberry bark paper, hails from Banshe Village, Maojianshan Township, Yuexi County. Historically, Banshe Village belonged to Qianshan County (commonly referred to as Rear North Qianshan). [2] In January 1936, the Republican government created Yuexi County from the border areas of Qianshan, Taihu, Huoshan, and Shucheng counties. Prior to the establishment of the county, the name “Yuexi” did not exist, nor did the specific term “mulberry bark paper.” The Ming Dynasty’s “Tiangong Kaiwu · Paper Materials” by Song Yingxing mentions: “All types of paper made with paper mulberry (also called grain tree) bark, mulberry pulp, lotus membrane, and other materials are considered bark paper.” As a common household item, it was habitually referred to as “bark paper,” “Han bark paper,” or “genealogy paper.”

　　During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, artisans and merchants were considered low-status and were not allowed to register in the national household registries (Yellow Registers and Fish-Scale Registers). In the past, papermakers were even mockingly called “paper beggars,” and their craftsmanship was a source of shame in families, not recorded in genealogies. Wang Bolin’s ancestors moved multiple times since the Yuan Dynasty, passing through Jiangxi and Shucheng, before finally settling in Qianshan (now Banshe Village, Maojianshan Township, Yuexi County), making a living by producing mulberry bark paper. The craft has been passed down through 14 generations to this day, but remained hidden in the deep mountains, a hidden gem unrecognized by the world. In 2005, when the Palace Museum in Beijing urgently needed “Korean paper” to restore the panoramic murals in the Qianqin Studio of Emperor Qianlong, the mulberry bark paper produced by Wang Bolin of Yuexi County met the requirements, and the term “Yuexi mulberry bark paper” was officially recognized by experts. In June 2008, “Mulberry Bark Paper Making Technique” was approved as part of the national intangible cultural heritage list, and in June 2009, Wang Bolin was named a national representative inheritor. Since then, “Yuexi mulberry bark paper” has gained widespread fame.

　　Yuexi mulberry bark paper has distinctive quality characteristics. The paper is beige-white in color, with fine and dense fibers, a clear texture, a soft cottony feel, smooth yet not slippery, strong water absorption, resistance to rot and insects, and distinct ink gradation. The paper surface is flat, free of creases, holes, tears, or other foreign matter. The mulberry bark fiber content is no less than 80%. It has high durability, strong tensile strength, balanced tear resistance, and moderate flexibility. It is now mainly used as premium paper for calligraphy and painting masters, restoration paper for cultural relics and ancient texts in museums, and interior wall coverings for traditional Chinese architecture, as well as for mounting plaques, couplets, latticed windows, and restoring large calligraphic and painted works. [3]

　　Many regions across China produce mulberry bark paper, including Xinjiang, Hebei, Shandong, the Northeast, Zhejiang, Jing County, and Xuancheng. Compared with mulberry bark papers from these areas, Yuexi mulberry bark paper offers the following advantages: 1. Due to factors such as local water sources, additives, and production methods, ordinary mulberry bark paper often has an acidic pH; Yuexi mulberry bark paper has a pH between 7 and 8, giving it strong insect resistance, no rot or insect damage, and the ability to be preserved intact for a long time. 2. Ordinary mulberry bark paper is produced using modern mechanical methods, where the fibers are cut and polished by machines, resulting in very short fibers that lose the long-fiber characteristics of mulberry bark. Yuexi mulberry bark paper is made entirely by hand using stone pestles, preserving the long fibers. It has higher fold endurance, greater tensile strength, moderate flexibility, and balanced tear resistance, allowing it to withstand significant changes in humidity without warping. These are advantages unmatched by other mulberry bark papers. When used for traditional architectural interior wall coverings and the restoration of ancient cultural relics and paintings, it ensures the restored artworks and architectural elements retain their original appearance and can be preserved for the long term. [3]

　　The unique quality of Yuexi mulberry bark paper comes from the mulberry bark raw material from Maojianshan Township, the mountain spring water, and the ancient production techniques. It is made from the bark of mulberry trees grown in Maojianshan Township, Yuexi County, Anhui Province, using the area’s unique weakly alkaline mountain spring water. With a special formula and under strict technical supervision, it is produced using the thousand-year-old traditional handcrafted bamboo screen papermaking technique. It is precisely this millennia-old craftsmanship and commitment to quality that results in a unique Yuexi mulberry bark paper that cannot be replicated or substituted by modern mechanized products.

　　Yuexi Mulberry Bark Paper

　　Maojianshan Township, currently under the administrative division of Yuexi County, Anhui Province, covers a total area of 96 square kilometers.

　　“Letter from the People’s Government of Yuexi County Regarding the Definition of the Protected Geographical Indication Product Range of Yuexi Mulberry Bark Paper,” Yu Zheng Mi [2014] No. 47

　　Enterprise Standard of Anhui Yuexi County Jinshi Paper Co., Ltd.: Q/YJS01-2015 “Yuexi Mulberry Bark Paper”