What kinds of paper were there in ancient times?

The main raw materials for papermaking are mostly plant fibers, mainly bamboo and wood, and the fiber of wood is flexible, so the paper made has strong ink absorption; Bamboo fiber is brittle and hard, and the paper made of it has weak ink absorption, so it can be divided into two categories:

Weak blotting paper:

Mostly made of bamboo fiber, the paper is smooth, the ink floats on the surface, and it is not easy to open slowly, so the color is bright. Mainly paper, such as Tang paper, clay paper and today's foreign paper also belong to this category.

Tang paper:

The famous paper used by Li Houzhu in the Southern Tang Dynasty is as famous as Tinggui Ink. It is characterized by smoothness and compactness, and is known as "as slippery as spring ice and as dense as a seal". It is the top grade of weak blotting paper, which is almost called jade water paper, and the inferior one is called cold jade. "Light and crisp" is its characteristic.

Shu Gui:

It is said that Cai Lun's ancient papermaking technique spread in West Shu, and its Shu Gui was quite famous since the Tang Dynasty, such as Xue Taogui and Xie Gonggui. It is said that its water quality is pure, so its paper is great. "Thank the official document" is named after the teacher's creativity, because it has ten colors, also known as ten-color text. "Xue Taogui" is named after pottery, but this kind of colored paper is made according to the ancient method, which is easy to dye and cannot be circulated for a long time. Just for fun.

Tibetan scripture paper:

Tibetan scripture paper is the paper used by Buddhist temples to write or print Buddhist scriptures, also known as Jinsuwen, and there are two kinds of yellow and white.

Clay gold and wax jars commonly used in Ming and Qing dynasties are rare today, and cold light jars are rare even if they have the lowest appearance. Bird paper made in Japan is widely used now, but it is expensive, not durable and really not practical.

Strong blotting paper:

Most of them are wood fibers, which have strong ink absorption and rough surface, and the ink is easy to spread when it falls off the paper. Writing is often made of paste or wax, the luster is not as bright as paper, and it is more subtle, mainly based on Xuan paper. Although it appeared late, it has replaced paper and become the most valuable writing paper.

Xuan Paper and Imitation Xuan:

Today, the most valuable writing paper is the poster of the jade plate. Lime for yubanxuan, mulberry, short wood, straw and sandalwood skin has the strongest ink absorption and the best texture. Xuan paper is named after Xuancheng, Anhui Province, but Xuancheng itself does not produce paper, and the surrounding local paper is declared as scattered land.

Let's continue to talk about the precious jade plate announcement. This kind of paper can't be used by everyone, because it has strong ink absorption, so it is hard for people who use it slowly: as long as they stop writing, the ink will seep out and form a big ink ball! However, some people use its characteristics to write distinctive characters, such as Bao's light ink book and Qi Baishi's freehand brushwork.

Because rice paper is too ink-absorbing and difficult to write, some people have improved it: either calendering, adding glue alum or adding pulp. After improvement, the ink absorption of rice paper is slightly reduced, making it easier to write.

Wool edge paper, meta book paper, cotton paper;

Xuan paper is expensive, so it is often used in calligraphy. This kind of paper was originally used to print books, but because of its good paper quality, some people bought books and cut them out to practice writing, so it is called "pleated paper". The raw material of this paper is mainly bamboo, which is yellow in color and excellent in texture, which is very different from the machine-made selvage paper used by primary and secondary school students now. Yuanshu paper is similar to fringed paper, but it is unknown today. Cotton paper made in this province can also be regarded as this kind, with good texture, good toughness and low price, which can be used as

Paper is one of the four great inventions in ancient China, which has made outstanding contributions to cultural exchanges in history. Even in the prevalence of machine-made paper today, some traditional handmade papers still reflect its irreplaceable role and glow with unique brilliance. Ancient newspapers can still get a glimpse of him in Gu Shuhua.

For a long time before the invention of paper, what did people use as notes? According to the literature and physical data, the earliest people used knots to take notes. When something happened, they tied a knot and solved it when they were finished. Later, he carved on the tortoise shell, which is called "Oracle Bone Inscriptions". After the bronze wares were made, they were engraved with inscriptions, namely "Bronze Inscription" or "Zhong Dingwen". Then, write the words on the pieces cut from the bamboo, which are called "bamboo slips". For example, a wide piece of bamboo is called a "bamboo slip". At the same time, some of them are also written on silk fabrics. In the pre-Qin period, in addition to the above materials, words carved on stones were also found, such as the famous "Shi Guwen".

As we all know, paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, recent archaeological excavations have questioned this. With the progress of archaeological work along the Northwest Silk Road, many sites and tombs of the Western Han Dynasty have been discovered, including many paper cultural relics. These rights documents are named after the unearthed places.

According to the chronological order of ancient paper unearthed at present, it can be arranged as follows: Fangmatan Paper, Baqiao Paper, Xuanquan Paper, Maquanwan Paper, Juyan Paper in the Middle Western Han Dynasty and Dry Beach Paper in the Late Western Han Dynasty. These papers not only predate Cai Lun paper, but also have ink fonts on some papers, indicating that they have been used to write documents.

Archaeological findings show that mature papers appeared in the early Western Han Dynasty in China, [6] such as Fangmatan Paper, Baqiao Paper, Xuanquan Paper, Maquanwan Paper, Juyan Paper in the middle Western Han Dynasty and Dry Beach Slope Paper in the late Western Han Dynasty. The ink fonts on some papers indicate that they were used to write documents at that time. [7] After the invention of paper, it gradually changed the status quo of "simple luxury". [8] While promoting the process of human civilization, China's calligraphy has found the best carrier and expression, making it an important oriental art.

Second, the historical development of calligraphy and painting paper

In the Han Dynasty, Cai Lun's all-round development and innovation of papermaking began to be applied in book contracts. During this period, it was basically silk and paper. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (about AD 185), calligrapher Zuo Bo developed "Cai Hou Paper" and created "Zuo Bo Paper" called "Miao Yan Huiguang", which was mostly adopted by calligraphers, giving a new impetus to calligraphers' lyricism with paper. In this regard, Zhang Huaiguan in the Tang Dynasty commented: "Zuo Bo Ziyi, a native of Donglai, Shandong Province, is an agent. Fortunately, at the end of the Han Dynasty, paper could be made. " [9]

In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the use of paper began to be more conscious, and the amount of paper used gradually exceeded that of silk slips. [10] Due to the long history, most of the papers in Wei and Jin Dynasties were not examinable. By the Jin Dynasty (4th century A.D.), paper had become the main writing material for calligraphers, and the number of written papers had greatly increased. Great calligraphers Zhong You and Wang Xizhi wrote casually on paper. Liu Yiqing wrote "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" and said: "Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting is written with cocoon paper, and the paper is like leather, but it is also repaired", which clearly shows that Wang Xizhi wrote the Preface to Lanting with cocoon paper, [1 1] in order to freely write lofty spirit and obtain elegant and ups and downs of artistic works. The characteristic of cocoon paper is that the ink permeates the back of the paper after writing, which is smooth and refreshing. It's hard to see the cocoon paper of the Jin Dynasty now, but what you can see is the cocoon paper of the Song Dynasty. The color of the paper is light yellow, which is similar to the appearance of cocoon silk. Paper is thin and smooth, and the fibers are evenly interwoven, which is the top grade in paper. In the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu's "Shigu Song" said: "Wang Xizhi's familiar book, though beautiful, can be found in several pages, only for a few white geese." It shows that in Wang Xizhi's time, it was quite common for calligraphers to write calligraphy on paper. To sum up, Tang said, "Tao Shen lived in a simple way, saying,' This post of You Jun is fresh and charming, and the paper and ink are exquisite and new, which can't be recovered.' "[12] The painters of this era still painted with silk, and the choice of paper for painting was the later era. [13] Most of the paper in the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was made of hemp. For example, Lu Ji's Ping Fu Tie in the Jin Dynasty was written on hemp paper. Textual research on Mi Fei's Book History shows that famous ancient calligraphers used paper to write posts. During the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, hemp paper was the main way to stick paper, and a large number of Confucian classics were basically paper, which played a great role in the spread and popularization of culture. (Legend: Lu Ji of the Eastern Jin Dynasty "Ping Fu Tie", hemp paper; Remnants of initiating explosive devices in Jin Dynasty are written on hemp paper; The First Collection of Laws (written on hemp paper in the 12th year of Xiliang, 4 16).

The Tang and Five Dynasties further expanded the varieties of calligraphy paper, such as hemp, bark, mulberry bark, rattan bark and a small amount of other leather materials. Wu Niu Tu in Tang Dynasty and Zhang Shi by Du Mu are both paper-hemp, paper-slippery and of good quality. At that time, there were many kinds of paper, such as hemp paper, plaid paper (or fragrant paper), rattan paper, mulberry root paper, mesh paper, rattan paper, cocoon paper, dense fragrant paper and so on, which were all loved by calligraphers. Chengxin Tang Paper represents the high level of calligraphy and painting paper in Tang and Five Dynasties, and it is a famous paper used by Li Houzhu in Southern Tang Dynasty. As famous as Tinggui ink, it is smooth and compact, and its ink absorption is weak, so it is known as "smooth as spring ice and dense as seal". Ma Zonghuo's Notes on Trees and Algae says: "The prosperity of calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty is no less than that in the Jin Dynasty. The establishment of calligraphy actually began in the Tang Dynasty. " Mi Fei's Book History records the method of identifying the authenticity of the paper in Chengxin Hall: "Gu Chengxin Hall was washed and soaked for one night, spread on the bed, the pulp hardened and the paper recovered." There was also a thick paper in the Tang Dynasty called "hard yellow paper". In the Tang Dynasty, Wang Xizhi's Sunny Post on Fast Day was made of hard yellow paper. Most of the classics written in the Tang Dynasty were yellow paper dyed with water from Phellodendron amurense. Zhao Xige's Collection of Clear Records of Tianku "Hard yellow paper is used for writing scriptures in the Tang Dynasty, dyed with yellow background, and taken with paste, so it is laborious and slippery, and good writers use it as a word." In the Ming Dynasty, Tang Yin's "Painting Spectrum of Liu Ru Jushi" said: Wang Si said: "There was hard yellow paper in the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang people dyed it with yellow skin, so it was as thick as pulp, shiny and smooth." [14] (Legend: Tang official document, hard yellow paper; Don Han Ying's "Five Cattle Map", mulberry paper; Tang Du Mu's Poems of Zhang, hemp paper edition; Tang's Preface to Lanting is a copy (parchment edition) between God and the Year of the Loong.

There were decal paper and chalk paper in Song and Yuan Dynasties. Li Jianzhong's "The Same Year Post" in the Northern Song Dynasty has a medium curtain pattern, and there is a decal paper behind this picture, which is the earliest decal paper we have ever seen; The paper used in Xue's "Bird Zhao Fan Tie" in the Northern Song Dynasty is the earliest chalk paper. There is little difference between the paper of Yuan Dynasty and that of Song Dynasty. Paper-making methods are mature, and all kinds of paper are available. (Legend: Song Evonne's "Summer Poetry", leather paper; Su Song Dongpo's "People Come to Book Staff", a leather book; Fei's "Tiaoxi Poetry" Volume 1, a leather paper book; Song Li Jianzhong Post of the same year, water printed paper; In the Song Dynasty, Hua Yan Jing, a generous and broad Buddha, collected scriptures on paper; Song Yang's blameless "Simitu" (partial) mulberry paper version; Selected works of the Song Dynasty, printed on leather paper; Zhu Yuan Derun's Show Michelle Ye Map (Partial) Leather Paper)

Paper-making technology in ming dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Zhanji of Xuande painted calligraphy and paintings on paper, which was called Xuande Stationery. It was smooth, white, fine and durable. In the early Ming Dynasty, there was a large gold paper, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, small gold tablets and gold star paper were developed, and in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, it was also developed into clay stationery. In the Ming Dynasty, Korean mirror paper was widely used. The texture of Wen Zhiming's running poems is Korean mirror paper. In the late Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang liked to use this kind of paper, which was smooth and handy for writing and drawing. (Legend: sheep brain paper in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty; Ming Wanli magnetic blue paper)

The prosperity of paper in Qing Dynasty can be described as spectacular: "All kinds of paper, such as glossy paper, herringbone paper, pine flower paper, phoenix tail paper, fragrant paper, jade scrap paper, Cai Lun paper, Tang paper, peach paper, fish egg paper, blue paper, right knife rattan paper, hemp paper, rattan paper, golden flower paper, black silk paper, etc." [15] (Legend: Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, imperial pen, leather book; Qingganlong imperial pen, imitating golden Sushan Tibetan scripture paper; The "Boundless buddha said life" in the Qing Dynasty was written in porcelain, green books and clay. Yong's Jiu 'an Shi Miao Ink, ribbed paper; Wu Rangzhi's "Ink Bamboo Map" in Qing Dynasty, wax sign; Wu Qin Feng Zao's running script is a seven-character couplet, with yellow wax paper; In the Qing Dynasty, Sun Xingyan's seal script was linked with seven words, and golden rice paper was sprinkled; Qing Zeng Guofan's running script, sprinkling gold wax paper; Feng Qinggui powder calligraphy, Hua Kai paper; Qing Shang Xian album, sprinkle Jin Xuan; Qing Weng Fanggang's calligraphy, Meihua Jade Edition; Qing Liu trained calligraphy in the same way, imitating Cheng Xin Tang paper; Xu Qingzhen flower and bird fan, ribbed gold rice paper; Zheng Qing Xiaoxu stationery, Qiuju stationery; In the Republic of China, Cai Yuanpei's running script was seven-character couplets and rice paper; Letter from Wang Renjun in the Republic of China, tiger skin rice paper; Wu Hufan Calligraphy Association in the Republic of China, Jade Edition Xuan Paper; Xu Maodong Beihong's couplets, ribbed paper).

Simple conclusion: the significance of interaction between calligraphy and paper

With the evolution of the history of calligraphy and paper, paper is widely used in calligraphy creation, and new forms and materials are constantly being invented and created. It enables calligraphers to express their feelings and feelings easily and create exquisite calligraphy in the long history of China. In addition, with the increase and smooth communication between the East and the West, the manufacture of paper not only reached its peak and unprecedented popularity in China, but also spread to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Central Asia Arabia, Cairo and other places. In the civilized development of Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe, especially in the interaction and worldwide spread of oriental calligraphy art and paper, the use of paper has played an important role and made remarkable achievements.

Hemp Paper in Ping Fu Tie in Eastern Ji Dynasty

Torchbearers in Jin Dynasty: Writing with shredded hemp paper.

Manuscript of Ma Paper "Collection of Preliminary Classification Methods" (4 16, 12 years after the establishment of Xiliang)

Hard yellow paper for official documents in Tang Dynasty?

Mulberry Paper of Han Wei's "Five Cattle Map" in Tang Dynasty

Tang Du Muzhang's poems are all wrapped in hemp paper.

Tang Du Muzhang's poems are all wrapped in hemp paper.

Feng Chengsu's Transcript of Lanting Preface in Tang Dynasty during the Dragon-Dragon Period.

Paper Paste of Tiaoxi Poetry by Mi Fei in Northern Song Dynasty.

The Construction of Leather Paper in Dongpo's Ci Hua on Earth in the Northern Song Dynasty

Song Cai Xiang cheng Xin Tang tie Shu hang

Zhao's Summer Poems in Northern Song Dynasty

Watermark paper mailed by Li Jianzhong in the same year in the Northern Song Dynasty

Hua Yan Jing, a generous Buddha in Song Dynasty, is a collection paper.

Notes on Selected Works of Five Ministers

Southern Song Dynasty Yang Wuxia's Simitu (Partial) Mulberry Paper

Zhu Yuande Runxiu Michelle Ye Tupi Paper (partial)

Ming Wanli sheep's brain paper is as black as lacquer and as bright as mirror to write scriptures.

Ming Wanli magnetic green paper

Emperor Kangxi's Imperial Pencil and Leather Paper

Qinggan dragon porcelain, written in green paper and clay gold, Buddha's infinite life sutra.

Emperor Qianlong's imperial pencil imitates Jinsushan Tibetan Scripture Paper.

Qingganlong Liuyong Jiuan graphite wonderful rib paper

Notes on Plum Blossom Jade Edition of Weng Fanggang Calligraphy in Qing Dynasty

Qing cheng tai zi calligraphy yellow wax paper

Jia ze zhi mo Zhu tu la Qian

Qing Jiaqing Wu Feng Zao Qi Yan Lian Huang Waqian Paper

Qing Jiaqing Sun Xingyan seal script seven-character couplet sprinkled with gold rice paper

Qing Daoguang Feng Guifen Calligraphy Hua Kai Paper

Qing Daoguang Guo Shangxian's album Golden Sprinkle.

In the same year, Zeng Guofan's calligraphy was sprinkled with gold wax paper.

In Qing Dynasty, Liu Tongxun's calligraphy imitated Cheng Xin Tang Paper.

Xu Zhen flower-and-bird fan-shaped ribbed gold rice paper in the late Qing Dynasty

Zhengde Qiuju Stationery in Qing Dynasty

Cai Yuanpei's seven-character couplet Xuan paper in the Republic of China

Wang Renjun's Letter Tiger Paper of the Republic of China

Xu Beihong's Lian Rib Paper in the Republic of China

Wu Hufan running script combined with jade rice paper in the Republic of China.

Baqiao Paper:

1957, the ancient paper of the Western Han Dynasty in the 2nd century BC was unearthed in Baqiao, the eastern suburb of Xi. When it was unearthed, it was a pile of large and small pieces of paper. The largest is10×10cm, and the smallest is 3× 4cm, beige. After repeated scientific experiments, it is found that it is mainly made of hemp and a small amount of ramie fiber, that is, "plant fiber paper". This ancient tomb is no later than the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that is, 140 to 87 years ago. Therefore, it can be concluded that plant fiber paper was produced and used in China more than 2000 years ago, that is, in the 2nd century BC. This Baqiao paper is the earliest paper in the world excavated by archaeology.

Cai Lun's thesis:

Cai Lun, the inventor of papermaking in Han Dynasty, is awe-inspiring. Guiyang (now Chenzhou City, Hunan Province) people. In the 18th year of Ming Di Yongping (75), he entered the palace as an official. In the first year of Zhanghe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (87), he was appointed. In the first year of Yuanxing (105), papermaking was invented. Summing up the experience of predecessors, he began to make paper from bark, hemp head, rags, old fishing nets and other raw materials through beating, mashing, papermaking, baking and other processes. It was called "Cai Hou Paper", which made great contributions to the reform and popularization of papermaking and was later passed down as the inventor of papermaking. Papermaking is one of the four great inventions in ancient China, which has made great contributions to the spread and development of world culture.

Zuo Bo paper:

After Cai Lun, others constantly improved his methods. About eighty years after Cai Lun's death (at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty), another paper expert named Zuo Bo appeared. The paper he made is even in thickness, delicate in texture and bright in color. At that time, people called this kind of paper "Zuo Bo paper". Unfortunately, the raw materials and manufacturing methods used in Zuo Bo are not recorded in history.

Rattan paper:

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, paper was widely spread and used, and papermaking was further improved. Before the Jin Dynasty, the paper-making area was concentrated in Luoyang, Henan Province, and gradually spread to Vietnam, Sichuan, Shao, Yang, Anhui, Jiangxi and other places, with increasing output and quality. Paper-making raw materials are also diversified, and there are many names of paper. Tunxi has rattan paper with rattan skin as raw material. The paper is smooth and white as jade, leaving no ink marks.

Attachment: the history of paper

Paper is one of the four great scientific and technological inventions in ancient China. Together with the compass, gunpowder and printing, it provided a material and technical foundation for the prosperity of China's ancient culture. The invention of paper ended the complicated history of ancient bamboo slips and greatly promoted the spread and development of culture.

In ancient times, democracy was recorded by knotting ropes, and later, characters were gradually invented, and Oracle Bone Inscriptions was used as writing materials. Later, bamboo and wood chips (bamboo slips) and silk were found and used as writing materials. But paper was invented because silk was too expensive and bamboo was too heavy. According to research, the production of paper began in the Western Han Dynasty. From 65438 to 0957, Shaanxi Provincial Museum excavated a batch of artifacts named "Baqiao Paper" from a Western Han Dynasty tomb near Baqiao in the eastern suburb of xi, and its production date should be no later than the era of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. Later, paper fragments of the Han Dynasty were unearthed in Luobnuoer, Xinjiang, Juyan, Gansu and other places, about 150 to 200 years earlier than the paper made by eunuch Cai Lun from the early Eastern Han Dynasty to Yuanxing. However, we should also see that although paper was invented long ago, it was not widely used at first, and government documents were still written in bamboo slips and silk books. In Xian Di, Zuo Bo, a native of Donglai, improved the previous paper-making method and further improved the paper quality. The paper he made is white, delicate, soft, uniform and bright, and the paper quality is particularly good. Known as "Zuo Bo paper" in the world, especially five-color stationery paper and high-grade stationery.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, paper was widely spread and used, and papermaking was further improved. Before the Jin Dynasty, the paper-making area was concentrated in Luoyang, Henan Province, and gradually spread to Vietnam, Sichuan, Shao, Yang, Anhui, Jiangxi and other places, with increasing output and quality. Paper-making raw materials are also diversified, and there are many names of paper. Such as bamboo curtain paper, the paper has obvious lines, and its paper is tight, thin and even. Tunxi has rattan paper with rattan skin as raw material. The paper is smooth and white as jade, leaving no ink marks. Dongyang has fish egg paper, also known as fish note, which is soft and smooth. Jiangnan uses straw and straw fiber to make paper. The paper is yellow and rough, so it is difficult to write. In the north, mulberry bark fiber is used to make paper, which has excellent texture, white color, light softness and strong tensile force, and the paper grain tears like cotton silk, so it is called cotton paper. Cai Lun has a wide range of papermaking raw materials. Paper made of rotten fishing nets is called net paper, and paper made of rags is called cloth paper. At that time, fishing nets and rags were classified as hemp fibers, so they were collectively called hemp paper.

In order to prolong the life of paper, the Jin Dynasty has invented a new technology of dyeing paper, that is, impregnating paper with yellow tiller boiling juice, some of which are written first and then dyed, and some are dyed first and then written. Impregnated paper is called dyed yellow paper, which is natural yellow, so it is also called jute paper. Yellow paper has the function of killing insects and moth.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the famous Xuan paper was born. There is a legend in Xuanzhou, Anhui Province, the main producing area of Xuan paper: Cai Lun's apprentice Kong Dan, who made paper in southern Anhui, always wanted to make a particularly ideal white paper for his master to paint and trim the score. But after many experiments, it can't be realized. Once, he happened to see some sandalwood trees lying beside the mountain stream, which had been corroded by water for a long time and had rotted and turned white. Later, he made paper with this bark and finally succeeded. It can be concluded that using bark as rice paper has been very popular in the Tang Dynasty. Hard yellow paper used to write classics in the Tang Dynasty, Cheng Xin Tang paper in the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, etc. All belong to the category of cooked rice paper. Since then, Xuan paper has been an indispensable treasure for writing and painting. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, almost all the paintings and calligraphy in China were made of rice paper.

At the same time, the invention of engraving brush greatly stimulated the development of paper industry, and the papermaking area was further expanded, and famous papers appeared one after another, such as yellow and white linen paper in Yizhou, rattan paper in Hangzhou, Wuzhou, Quzhou and Yuezhou, large paper in Zhou Jun, thin paper and white paper in Zhou Pu, Xuan paper in Xuanzhou, hard yellow paper and bamboo paper in Shaozhou, and slip paper in Linzhou. In the Tang Dynasty, bast fibers such as Daphne bark, Broussonetia papyrifera bark, mulberry bark, rattan bark, hibiscus bark and Pteroceltis tatarinowii bark were used as raw materials for papermaking. This kind of paper is flexible and thin, and the fibers are evenly staggered.

On the basis of the yellow paper dyed in the previous generation in the Tang Dynasty, the paper was coated with wax evenly. After calendering, the paper had the advantages of luster, luster and beauty, so it was called hard yellow paper. There is also a kind of hard white paper, which is called hard white paper, which is coated with wax on the front and back sides of the original paper, and then rubbed with pebbles or arc stones to make the paper bright, lubricated and dense, and the fibers are even and meticulous, which is slightly thicker than hard yellow paper. In addition, politicians have added mineral powder and wax paper; On the basis of powder wax paper and colored paper, paper products with gold and silver foil or powder luster are called golden flower paper, silver flower paper or honeysuckle paper, also called cold gold paper or sprinkled gold and silver paper; There is also that kind of paper with exquisite colors and patterns, which is polished and pressed one by one on the pattern board engraved with calligraphy and painting, so that various patterns are hidden on the paper, also called flower curtain paper or pattern paper. At that time, caviar paper made in Sichuan was very popular among scholars. In addition, there have been papers that have undergone simple reprocessing, such as Xue Tao's stationery, Xie Gong's 10-color stationery and other dyed papers, Jin Sushan's warp paper, and various printed papers, pine paper, variegated quicksand paper, rosy clouds paper, gold powder paper and dragon paper.

The paper industry of the Five Dynasties continued to develop. Zhangzhou's Chengxin Tang paper was always considered as the best paper until the Northern Song Dynasty. This kind of paper is "as smooth as spring water, as thin as cocoon, as tough as Sichuan sound and as crisp as a brush". This paper can be as long as 50 feet and as thin as a tail. It inherited the papermaking tradition of Song Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, and many papers with different textures appeared. Paper is generally light, soft, thin and tough. First-class paper is all produced in Jiangnan, also known as Jiangdong paper. The reuse of paper began in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the New Testament was reconstructed from waste paper, called rejuvenation paper or mature rejuvenation paper. It has the characteristics of material saving, time saving and quick effect.

By the Yuan Dynasty, the paper industry was dying, and only the south of the Yangtze River barely maintained its former scene. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the paper industry flourished again. The main famous products are Xuan paper, bamboo paper, Xuande paper and Songjiang Tan paper. The manufacturing technology of Xuan paper in Qing Dynasty was further improved and became a well-known paper. Most of them use local papermaking raw materials, and all kinds of raw materials are used to make all kinds of paper. Paper processing technology has been further developed and innovated, such as sizing, alum addition, dyeing, waxing, calendering, gold scattering and printing. All kinds of stationery are popular again. White paper and elegant colored paper are highly respected in texture, and the colors are mainly bright and quiet. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, there were pastel wax banknotes, such as those depicting gold and silver patterns, those depicting wax banknotes, those depicting multicolored calendered wax banknotes, and those depicting printed and printed flower banknotes, which were calendered on three-color paper with pastel wax and then painted with clay gold or clay silver. The production of letterhead paper has reached an exquisite level in the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, since the Jin Dynasty, the imperial court in China has accepted tribute paper from neighboring countries, such as South Vietnamese tissue paper (or moss paper), which is sweet, warm and non-toxic with seaweed as raw material. Korean tribute paper and chicken forest paper are loved by rulers of past dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, there were North Korea's Lijin stationery, Jinling stationery, mirror stationery, bamboo green paper, Vietnamese moss stationery, Japanese snow paper, book paper, western Phnom Penh paper, mica paper, flower paper, all kinds of stationery and flower paper.