Tibetan paper is fragrant and is made from a special type of thyme and the production technology reaches a meticulous artistic level. The millennial secret of this kind of paper has now been revealed.
Tibetan paper was produced in the mid 7th century and is a unique cultural product of Tibet. After Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty entered Tibet with her paper-making techniques, then Han and Tibetan craftsmen could not find materials such as bamboo, rice and fishing nets like in the Central Highlands. After years of tinkering, they have produced their own unique Tibetan paper. The types of paper used to record scriptures in the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Sakya Monastery are mainly Tibetan paper. Until the 1950s, Tibetan paper was still widely used in Tibet. For thousands of years, it has quietly recorded the history of Tibet, being a witness to the progress of Tibet’s civilization.
Tibetan paper was produced in the mid 7th century.
In 1901, a Hungarian-Jewish explorer and archaeologist, went to the town of Andier’xiang, Minfeng County, Xinjiang (adjacent to Tibet), where he discovered scraps of Tibetan paper written in the end of the 8th century. After examining it, he discovered that this paper had a fragrant aroma and that the material was made from a special type of thyme . This grass is not available in Xinjiang, so it is determined to be imported from Tibet.
Before the technique of papermaking was introduced into the Tibetan tradition, Tibetans used bark, stone slabs, and sheep bones, as well as wood, bamboo, and sheepskin as writing materials. So, when did Tibetan papermaking and papermaking begin in Tibet? According to the records of the “Former Duong Thu”, there is a passage that says: The Tho people invite workers to grow silkworms, make wine, grind, beat, paper, and ink. It is now considered to be the earliest known record of paper-making being introduced into Tibet. Tubo “for silkworm seedlings and winemaking, crushing, beating, paper, ink, and Xu Wei.” This is the earliest description of paper making visible in Tibet
Tibetan paper is made from fibers of bark and stems of poison ivy (a noxious weed of the genus Stellera chamaejasme, a powerful poison like a wolf), and treated limestone and alkaline soil.
Tibetan paper is made from the bark fibers and the fibers of the poison ivy plant.
Poisonous ylang-ylang is a colorful grass, mainly found in savannas or grasslands. This is an iconic plant, its appearance heralding the degradation of grasslands. Because the plant itself is always toxic, so Tibetan paper made from grass is not afraid of insect bites for a long time, does not rot, does not change color, has a durable texture, is not easy to tear, and is resistant to wrinkles. , wear-resistant, etc. It is for this reason that Tibetan paper is used in large quantities to record scriptures, or government documents, or for printing.
Tibetan papermaking technology can be considered a rather meticulous art. Every step in the entire production process needs to be precise to create a beautiful Tibetan paper. The Tibetan papermaking process is mainly divided into peeling, pounding, steaming, tanning, washing, dipping, beating, mixing, and rolling. In the paper-making process, the craftsman must accurately grasp each technique, clearly understand the parameters of the quantity of each ingredient, properly time each step… How to judge whether a piece of paper is high grant? The standard of good Tibetan paper is: uniform thickness, no pitting, no stains and impurities, no smearing, soft and pure white.
Tibetan papermaking technology can be considered a rather meticulous art.
For more than 1300 years, Tibetan paper production has accompanied the development of Tibetan economy and culture, meeting the needs of society. From the day of its birth, Tibetan paper has had a great and far-reaching impact on the history of Tibetan civilization. Its history is older than people know. Its heritage value is far more brilliant than what people have seen. There is a saying that goes like this: “The history of Tibet is recorded on Tibetan paper”. The scriptures collected in religious sites such as the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple can be preserved after thousands of years of wind and rain. That’s because they are created from Tibetan paper.