Zhaotong Handmade Paper

Zhaotong Handmade Paper

　　Zhaotong handmade paper, also known as "straw paper," has been produced since the Ming Dynasty. By the time of the Republic of China, its production techniques had undergone further development. According to *Regional Chronicles Materials*, around the year 1920, there were many handmade paper mills of varying scales across Zhaotong City, with particularly high production volumes in Weixin County. The paper was widely distributed across northeastern Yunnan and northwestern Guizhou. When the first Five-Year Economic Plan was launched in 1953, the Zhaotong regional government prioritized the production of handmade paper as a key local industrial product. Between 1958 and 1962, during the period of "industrial development everywhere" and "massive industrial expansion," rural communes and production teams set up five to six hundred handmade paper mills using locally sourced materials and on-site production methods. During that time, the average annual output exceeded 5,000 tons, playing an important role in ensuring the supply of hygienic paper for urban residents across the province. Since the 1980s, the average annual output of handmade paper in Zhaotong City has remained stable at around 2,000 tons. Zhaotong handmade paper is fine and soft in texture, with strong water absorption, an affordable price, and leading quality among similar products in Yunnan Province, making it very popular with consumers. (Zhaotong)