Handmade Dai Paper

Handmade Dai Paper

　　Handmade Dai paper from Jinghong City in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, has attracted public attention. Some out-of-town tourists show great interest in Dai handmade paper, asking about the production methods while listening to staff explain the papermaking steps.

　　The craft of handmade Dai paper in Jinghong City has a history of over 1,000 years. The paper is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree, a plant in the Moraceae family. The traditional process has fully preserved the five key steps and eleven procedures from the early days of papermaking invention: soaking, steaming, beating the pulp, casting the paper, and drying. Since no chemical agents are used during the papermaking process, the resulting paper boasts strong fiber toughness, long-lasting durability, and resistance to decay and insects. In addition to being used for copying Buddhist scriptures in Theravada Buddhist monasteries, it is also widely applied in folk activities and daily life. In 2006, it was included in the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage and the first group of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Lists of Yunnan Province.