Soil paper is a relatively large traditional local product in Shaoguan, especially Renhua Yangtze River paper is well-known inside and outside the province, and enjoys a high reputation in Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia. The production area of Renhua soil paper is mainly based on Yangtze River Town, and expanded to Fuxi, Chengkou, Hongshan, Wenshao and other towns. Renhua soil method papermaking technology is the development and extension of ancient papermaking in China, and is one of the representatives of traditional handicrafts.
Renhua soil paper production has a long history, according to legend from Fujian, to the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty production technology matured, Daoguang first year (1821) began to enter the peak period. Qing Guangxu's "Chronicle of Renhua County" records: "Renhua products, mountains and things are many... Besides the rice, the cedar paper is second... Famous for the Yangtze River and Fuxi". In the year of Qing Guangxu (1885), 30 Guangzhou-registered shops operating clay paper in Changjiang Town established the Guangzhou Guild Hall, and the stone stele erected said "Yangtze River paper is more expensive than Luoyang". In addition, small folk workshops for the production of soil paper are spread throughout the Yangtze River, Hongshan, Fuxi, Chengkou and other townships.
With the increasing expansion of the soil paper production industry, the output of soil paper is also becoming more and more prominent. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, there were more than 40 paper merchants in Guangdong Province who opened in Renhua, and there were No. 31 in Changjiang Town alone, with annual sales of up to 40,000 to 50,000 cartons, and the annual output of native paper in Changjiang Town alone was as small as thousands of cartons and as many as tens of thousands of cartons. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, historian Chen Hansheng believed that "from Pucheng and Nanping in northern Fujian, Shanghang and Changting in western Fujian, through Ningdu and Suichuan in Jiangxi, Nanxiong, Heping, Sixing and Renhua in northern Guangdong, and even from Shaoyang, Xinhua and Hengshan in Hunan, this is a major area of China's papermaking industry." In the early 1940s, there were 176 indigenous paper mills in the county, with an annual output of about 1850 tons. Since 1953, the paper industry has been changed from private to state-run, and after the reform and opening up, it has gradually shifted to the independent operation of farmers.
Soil papermaking is limited to moso bamboo production areas, the process and equipment are relatively simple, seasonal production, all rely on manual operation. The paper mill (Liao) is located in the mountainous area where bamboo resources are concentrated, and there are several paper ponds for soaking bamboo materials, a number of bamboo curtains for paper copying, a number of large wooden barrels for holding pulp, and an oven for baking paper on rainy days, which can be produced. After drying or baking the paper, take 60 sheets as a knife, every 25 knives for one, and every 4 for a load.
Renhua soil paper uses tender bamboo (called "bamboo shoots" by paper makers) as raw materials, and is completed by hand through 22 processes such as preparation, feeding, pickling, and papermaking. Most of the raw material processing uses methods such as sun, rain, dew refining, etc., which are natural and natural, and there are no specific physical and chemical indicators, all mastered by experience. Glue dispensing is a unique process of soil papermaking. The glue is made from the leaves of the plant's large-leaf holly and mixes with the pulp to act as an adhesive.
Renhua soil paper is delicate, smooth and flexible, uniform sheets, mild color, easy to dry writing, is the top product of writing, bookkeeping, sacrifice, hygiene, food packaging, etc. According to the "Renhua County Chronicle" of the Republic of China, the types of paper are divided into six major varieties: jade buckle, south buckle, Dongzhuang, heavy barrel, cigarette paper and pulp, and each variety is divided into heads, two and three positive and secondary prints. Since 1953, it has been re-printed to a grade, with 8 grades in the Middle East, 5 grades each for jade buckles and heavy barrels, 4 grades for tobacco paper, and 3 grades for south buckles and pulp.
For a long time, the production skills of Renhua soil paper have been passed down by masters and apprentices, apprentices learn skills from masters in paper mills, and masters teach by example, and they must rely on understanding and long-term practice to master all skills. For more than 60 years, the production and operation of Renhua soil paper has been mainly based on the small family workshop method, with farmers working alone as the main body. After the 1990s, due to the influence of the market economy, the production of soil paper became less and less, and it was on the verge of extinction.
At present, the Papermaking Technique of Renhua Soil Method has been included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong Province.