First, the historical background of ancient papermaking in Cai Lun.
Cai's home in Xingwang Village still follows the oldest and most primitive hand-made craft of white paper invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to legend, during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, descendants of Cai Lun who were proficient in this paper-making technology fled to Guizhou from the west of the Yangtze River via Laiyang, Hunan Province, and then settled in Caijiaao, Heshui, Yinjiang (now a villager group in Xingwang Village), with a history of about 600 years. The ancient paper-making workshops and methods in Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty more than 1900 years ago are still well preserved in Xingwang Village, Heshui Town, Yinjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, and continue to this day.
Why can the ancient papermaking workshops and methods in Cai Lun in Han Dynasty continue here? Is Cai a descendant of Cai Lun? According to farmer Cai Wenju, there is "Cai Lun, ancestor of past dynasties" on the memorial tablet of Cai's ancestral hall. Every year on the ninth day of the third lunar month, the paper-making families hold a "Cai Lun Hui" to burn some paper and drink some wine in memory of their teacher Cai Lun. On this day, paper makers should arrange paper-making tools and maintain the river.
Second, Cai Lun ancient papermaking technology.
"Cai Lun" ancient papermaking was introduced by local elders. The main raw material for papermaking was wild or domestic Broussonetia papyrifera bark. From raw materials to finished products, there are 73 processes, such as material selection, cooking, soaking, rinsing, crushing, pulping, paper fishing and paper drying. There are eight main processes:
1, Broussonetia papyrifera bark collection-drying-soaking in water until soft.
2, lime slurry gathering-kiln steaming-lime water cleaning-drying.
3. Wash the dried raw materials, soak them in soda ash, cook them at high temperature and bleach them.
Beat the bleached raw material repeatedly with a wooden needle-cut it fine with a knife.
5. Put the chopped raw materials into the old stone and shovel them-then pour them into the stone trough, add the pine paste solution and stir well.
6. Use special curtains with specific specifications to make paper.
7. Squeeze the scooped paper with stones, then move it home, put it on the prepared wooden frame, and then dry it on the wall one by one.
8. Take the air-dried paper off the wall, stack hundreds of sheets into a bundle and sell them in bundles.
Third, the use of paper
The white paper produced by the "Cai Lun" ancient papermaking process in Xingwang Village of Heshui Town is white, soft and tough, which is conducive to permanent collection and preservation, and has the function of moth prevention. Mainly used in calligraphy and painting paper, industrial paper, financial and commercial paper and Buddhist paper.
Fourth, the development of ancient papermaking in Cai Lun.
It is said that the handmade white paper in Xingwang Village of Heshui Town was originally circulated only in the local Cai family. I don't know when it started, because of the neighboring settlements and intermarriage, it developed into a prosperous village except Cai's, and the Xu family also mastered ancient papermaking. Because of intermarriage, neighboring villages such as Oak Ping, Mula, Yaziba and Pinglou also learned to make paper. During the prosperous period, only Xingwang Village grew to more than 300 households. Now, as long as you walk into Xingwang Village, no matter who you ask, the technological process of this ancient paper-making method, which can be used through the ages, is well explained. "Cai Lun ancient papermaking" has become a symbol of local national culture.
The ancient paper industry in Cai Lun has increased the income of more than 65,438+000 local families, including Cai, Shuai and Lu. Most of the paper workers in Xingwang Village are middle-aged and elderly people. But young people should learn to make paper before going out to work. Most of the washing of paper is done by men, while women and children only do ironing and drying paper. The white paper produced by paper makers is not only sold to Weining and other places in this province, but also exported to Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places outside the province and Southeast Asian countries. According to reports, the average annual output of paper workers in Xingwang Village is 200 bales, and the income is more than 654.38+0 million yuan. The ancient papermaking workshops and methods in Xingwang Village are gradually developing into tourism. At present, there are more than 450 people engaged in tourism in Xingwang Village, and there are 4240 experts, scholars and tourists inside and outside the county, which has played an important role in speeding up the development of tourism in Fan Jing and promoting the Buddhist culture in Fan Jing.
Xingwang Village is close to Tuanlong Ethnic Culture Village, Tuanlong Palace Tea Culture Village, Huguo Temple, Wujiang Canyon Baili Corridor, Yi Academy and other tourist attractions. There are Fanjingshan Cuifeng tea, Fanjingshan tea, Fanjingshan tribute tea, Yinjiangshe rice, Red Army shoes and other specialties.