Both of these papers were sold in bolts (dao 刀) of 100 sheets. Both are a size known as four-foot paper, which is about 54 inches wide and roughly twice as wide as high. The grain of the paper generally follows the chain lines, which run in the short direction. Each sheet has a smooth side and a rough side (corresponding respectively to the side dried against a wall, board, or heated metal plate as opposed to the side with brush marks dried to the air). The surface decorations obscure the brush marks in these handmade papers. Nancy knew from experience that we would be unlikely to get clear information from the paper sellers on how the surface decorations were done. The paper sellers often simply do not know the process or sometimes they feign ignorance to protect the proprietary interests of the papermakers and decorators. Artisans in the villages where these papers are made usually refuse to demonstrate the decorative techniques or to specify what ingredients go into creating the decorative effect, again to protect proprietary processes. LEOPARD-SPOT PAPER (Hupixuan 虎皮宣) Eight years ago, Nancy found multiple examples of leopard-spot paper from both Sichuan and Anhui provinces in the Liulichang shops. In contrast with the Sichuan example included here, those from Anhui show a distinctive, refined overall pattern reminiscent of chrysanthemum blooms. On this visit, we asked at a dozen paper and stationery stores, but found only this one example of the paper. Some of the sellers did not seem to recognize leopard-spot paper by name; some showed us other decorated papers that were merely dyed or featured other, more typical decoration (such as metal flecks brushed onto a colored sheet). It is not clear if leopard- spot paper is still made, or whether what is sold in Liulichang remains representative of all that is still being produced. The base paper used in this Sichuan-style leopard-spot paper is not as high a quality as the other decorated paper here. It is weaker and less uniform. The paper was probably made of some mix of dragon whisker grass (longxucao 龙须草 or suocao 蓑草) and other fibers, possibly even recycled paper of unknown origin. The surface treatment applied to the waterleaf sheets of paper may have weakened the sheet. The decoration is the result of a chemical reaction between the dye and another chemical spattered onto the surface of a freshly dyed sheet. Because the sheets were somewhat damp when we purchased the bolt (possibly from having been stored in a damp warehouse), I aired them to dry, out of the sunlight. This paper had a distinctive but unrecognizable odor. A residue of small white crystals, which I suspect created the design, can still be seen and felt on some of the sheets. MARBLE-PATTERNED PAPER (Dalixuan 大理纹), Also Known As Water-Patterned Paper (Shuiwenzhi 水纹纸) Like the leopard-spot paper, this paper was surface decorated after the original sheets were made and dried. Even though the name marble-patterned paper is suggestive, this decorative process is not at all related to the process of picking up color floated on the surface of water, as in techniques originating in Turkey or Europe to create Western-style marbled papers. The base sheet is a fairly good quality xuanzhi 宣纸, the wellknown paper used for calligraphy, made in Anhui province. The paper was formed on a removable screen, stacked in a post without interleaving felts, and brushed onto a flat surface (a board, waxed fine plaster wall, or heated metal wall) for air drying. The surface decoration process utilizes an ink or dye bath into which is mixed a gelatinous substance called baiji 白芨 and a small amount of alum to help fix the dye. A bamboo rod attached to one of the short ends of each sheet allows the dyer to drag the sheet through a shallow vat of dye mixture. Each sheet is then suspended by the rod to which it is attached, on a parallel row of wires. As the dye mixture rolls down the suspended sheet, the coagulant in the dye slightly slows, clumps, and diverts the flow, creating the veiny effect. We were able to find more examples of this type of paper in Liulichang than of the other. The half-dozen or so varieties we looked at exhibited subtle variations in color, intensity, and design. The paper we chose to feature here had the boldest contrast and featured the most interesting design. Some of the samples, cut from the top edge of a sheet where it was attached to the bamboo rod, will show a less distinct line patterning. These samples from the margins, which some might regard as less than perfect, provide precious clues to the production process and to the way the base paper and the dye interact. Should you be fortunate enough to receive one, you should treasure what others might see as mere imperfections.
