Heqing Cotton Paper

Heqing Cotton Paper

　　Heqing County has a long history of handmade paper production, known for its high-quality products. Historical records indicate that during the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1341–1368 AD), paper production was widespread across the region. By the early years of the Republic of China, there were dozens of large-scale paper workshops, producing over 2,000 loads of white cotton paper and 3,000 loads of coarse paper per year (each load weighing 50–60 kilograms). The products were supplied not only locally but also sold to counties such as Lijiang, Yongsheng, Jianchuan, Dali, Xiaguan, and Xiangyun, as well as to countries like India and Myanmar.

　　 　　Heqing white cotton paper earned its name for its snow-white, cotton-like appearance. Each sheet measures 50 cm in both length and width, thin as cicada wings yet tough as silk brocade, soft in texture and resistant to moths, with strong water absorption. It served not only as the primary writing paper in the past but also as an excellent material for copying scriptures and writing contracts. According to appraisals by scholars, some of the scriptures found in the Dong family ancestral hall in Beitangtian Village, Fengyi, from the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms periods, were copied on Heqing white cotton paper. The herbal medicine packaging paper unearthed from the Huoyanshan Pagoda in Eryuan, built during the Song Dynasty, was also made of Heqing white cotton paper. Handmade paper production in Heqing originated in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Yuan Dynasty, and by the Zhizheng era, white cotton paper was already being used to mass-print scriptures and line scripture scrolls at Xuanhua Temple. In addition to writing paper, there was also a specialized "double-layer" white cotton paper for packaging. This type of paper is about three times thicker than writing paper, with exceptional toughness, unlikely to tear, and highly durable, making it the best packaging paper of its time.

　　 　　Heqing white cotton paper is renowned for its superior quality and affordability, earning fame across the Yunnan region. It was once praised with the saying, “Anhui Xuan paper is the best under heaven, while Heqing cotton paper is the pride of Yunnan.”