Ancient Art of Papermaking Thrives in South China Village

Zhang Huangyuan, Fuli village's papermaking representative inheritor, works in his papermaking workshop. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A village in Sihui city under the administration of Zhaoqing in South China's Guangdong province, has recently become a hot tourist attraction for its ancient papermaking methods and technologies.

Fuli village, which has a history of more than 800 years in making paper, is now attracting more and more tourists from outside who annually arrive in the village to see and learn how paper is made. There are more than 50 paper making workshops, employing more than 10,000 people, Guangzhou Daily reported.

In addition to selling the paper it makes, the village is now earning more than 1 million yuan ($142,142) a year from tourists, who are playing a big part in helping local villagers rise up from poverty, Guangzhou Daily said.

With the improvement of technologies and methods, the village's workshops are now able to produce high-grade paper, such as the Xuan paper used by artists due to its good water absorption and toughness. Annual industrial production can be worth more than 50 million yuan.

Zhang Huangyuan, the village's papermaking representative inheritor, said paper making is easy to learn, but it is difficult to master, as papermaking has many complicated steps before the products are completed.

Zhang said his village's papermaking workshops that use ancient paper making technologies and methods never pollute the local environment as they never discharge waste water into the local river. Zhang's village lies along the Suijiang River that annually provides enough water resources for the village's paper making industry.

Zhang, 85, who has been engaging in papermaking in the village for 76 years, said papermaking is one of China's four great inventions.

"And Fuli village will not give up its paper making industry, despite difficulties," he said.

Zhang has now become an icon in the village, a man who is respected and praised by his fellow villagers.