What is xuan paper in Anhui？
2 min readPaper is a Chinese invention，and it is widely accepted that paper was invented by Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty.After the Eastern Jin Dynasty，paper was extensively used instead of bamboo slips and silk，and in the Tang and Song Dynasties，the paper production industry became prosperous.
During the Tang Dynasty Jing County of Anhui produced a kind of writing paper for Chinese painting and calligraphy.Jing County was under the official administration of Xuanzhou Prefecture ，and its paper was usually transported to Xuanzhou before it was distributed elsewhere.Gradually people called this type of paper as xuan paper. Xuan paper absorbs ink well and shows clearly the lines and strokes.It has great tensile strength，and it retains its quality for a long time.Artists prefer using xuan paper mainly because their paintings and calligraphy can last many years.
But xuan paper is expensive，so beginners often use coarse paper for their daily calligraphy or painting practice.
There are numerous types of xuan paper.One category includes three types of xuan paper:shengxuan paper ，shuxuan paper and semi-shuxuan paper . Sheng means“unprocessed”or”unrefined.”The paper of this type is made without going through any refined process.Shengxuan paper easily absorbs and seeps ink or water，so freehand landscape paintings drawn on the paper of this type clearly show rich variations and line shades of ink strokes.
Shu means“processed，”or”refined.”The paper of this type is made through a refined process.During the process a xuan papermaker dissolves alum in water and then brushes shengxuan paper with the alum water.Shuxuan paper is tougher than shengxuan paper，and its water or ink absorbency is weak.Due to these facts，shuxuan paper suits meticulous brushwork of traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy.
Semi-shu means”semi-refined.”It is the third type of xuan paper，and its water absorbency is somewhat between that of shengxuan paper and shuxuan paper.Landscape painters tend to use semi-shuxuan paper not only because the paper of this type exhibits the variations of ink strokes，but also has no much water or ink absorbency.
