Workers still use the centuries-old craft to make xuan paper in a family paper mill in Jiajiang, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Making handmade paper is a 1,000-year-old tradition native to Zhou's county. Bamboo is used as the raw material to make the fine grain paper, which was once used during imperial exams and is now used by 60 percent of China's painters and calligraphers.

Zhou said the traditional technique involves a 72-step process.

"Only five of the 1,000 paper mills in the county are still strictly following these manual procedures all the others have simplified the production process to cut costs and time."

The technique dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). In its heyday in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the county's paper output made up 30 per cent of the country's total.

"Around 1700, Emperor Kang Xi chose the handmade paper from Jiajiang County as the only paper for imperial exams in Beijing and merchants from across the nation flooded here each year to buy the paper," said Zhou.

Today, the industry employs some 7,500 people in Jiajiang County, about 60 percent of the local population, a sharp decline compared with 40,000 workers employed in the 1930s, said Zhou.

Shen Liujun, 46, is one of the few local craftspeople who still adhere to the complex traditional routine. His cottage mill, in the outlying mountainous areas of the county, produces three tons of rice paper a year. The county's annual output is 5,000 tons.

Maintaining traditional production techniques means low output and big disadvantages for Shen in the fierce market competition.

Huayi Paper Mill, one of the bigger paper-making businesses with 20 employees, has simplified the production process to improve productivity.

"It used to take six months to go through all the traditional 72 steps. The steaming and boiling processes alone take seven days and seven nights," said Xu Anfu, the mill's owner.

"We've omitted nearly 50 steps and it now takes only a month. But the quality of the product is not the same."

Besides lower quality, Zhou said the industry is facing many other problems including a lack of raw material and professionals. The process also produces a lot of waste and pollution.

The traditional methods of the industry demand strenuous physical labor but low profits also mean low pay, so very few young people are interested in jobs in this field, said Xu Anfu.

The industry is also facing growing pressure because of the waste it produces. It was blamed for polluting local rivers and lakes and the county government has spent 300,000 yuan (US$37,500) to clean the local waterways, said Zhou.

"We hope State protection (if the craft is included into the country's cultural heritage list) will help us better tackle the problems," he said.

China also plans to restore some traditional paper-making workshops to preserve the ancient techniques rather than to make profits, he added.

(China Daily June 12, 2006)