Elaborate step-by-step process for making “super” Xuan paper showcased in E China's Anhui

Workers make a huge piece of Xuan paper in Jingxian county, east China's Anhui province, Sept. 28. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

At a workshop for Xuan paper, which is an ideal type of high-quality handmade material used for Chinese calligraphy and painting, several dozens of workers gathered around a gigantic tank used for molding during the production process for the large strips of paper, in Jingxian county in east China's Anhui province, the very place where Xuan paper was invented, on Sept. 28.

The making of the “super” Xuan paper, which measures 11 meters in length and 3.3 meters wide, involves the collaboration of 76 workers, including 52 workers who are responsible for the molding process, as well as 20 workers devoted to drying the sheet and four in quality control who examine its quality upon completion. The “super” Xuan paper is mainly used for artistic purposes.

The production of the Xuan paper includes 108 steps altogether and takes at least a year for the final product to be fully prepared. The step-by-step procedure for making Xuan paper was listed as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.