Dai Papermaking

The Dai people in Yunnan Province are known for their ancient craft of papermaking. Their methods for making paper date back as far as 1,800 years. Handcrafted papermaking is one of the Four Inventions of Ancient China, and can be traced back to the East Han Dynasty, which reigned from 25 AD to 220 AD.

In Manzhao Village more than 80 percent of the households make paper in their homes. They have cultivated methods of paper using a variety of different kinds of materials, including hemp or bamboo. They can also make paper from the bark of mulberry trees, which grow abundantly along the roadsides.

The Dai people in Mangtuan Village in Lincang make paper from cotton plants. They use an ancient method that includes 11 steps, including cleaning and soaking bark; steaming and mashing pulp; pouring the mixture into a wooden frame, and then drying it in the sunlight. 

In 2006 paper making in Mangtuan was named to the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council. In 2014 the village was named as one of the “Villages with Ethnic Minority Characteristics” by the state Ethnic Affairs Commission. In 2015 the village was added to the “China’s Traditional Villages Catalog” and rated as a national 3A scenic spot.

Mangtuan villagers today are preserving and passing on the cultural heritage of papermaking. It has become a mission for the villagers of cultural preservation and sharing as well as a thriving industry.

In 2011 a cooperative for producing handmade paper was formed in Mangtuan with more than 60 households participating. The cooperative provides its members with materials for papermaking, such as mulberry trees, as well as the necessary tools, and training in craft and in marketing their products. Through the efforts of the cooperative, the villagers have turned papermaking into a lucrative industry, helping to fuel the village economically.

The craft of papermaking also thrives in Menghun in Xishuangbanna and other places in Yunnan.