A legacy that endures

Yao is the youngest member of the team, and he has the demanding task of drying 500 sheets of paper every day. Once he meets his daily workload, he dedicates time to filming short videos demonstrating the papermaking process in the various workshops, which he shares online. To his surprise, many have garnered millions of views and as a result, Yao has amassed over 120,000 followers on the short-video platform Douyin, and 25,000 on Xiaohongshu.

"I started creating these clips back in 2017 and shared them online for fun," he explains. "Surprisingly, many of the videos became popular. Viewers would ask me how to buy proper Xuan paper for a range of uses. That has motivated me to keep producing the videos."

Last year, Yao, who is also an employee of the China Xuan Paper Group, began endorsing Xuan paper and products through livestreaming.

Apart from producing paper in a variety of sizes, the corporation also manufactures a wide array of cultural and creative products made from the paper, such as foldable lanterns shaped like books and small paper umbrellas.

According to Huang Yingfu, deputy chief manager of China Xuan Paper Group, the corporation is also actively expanding the use of Xuan paper in areas such as stamp production, book printing, and as paper used for the restoration of cultural artifacts.

Xuan paper is known for its strength and smoothness, its capacity to absorb water and ink, and ability to be folded repeatedly without tearing and remain durable over time.

This enduring quality prompted the cultural company Sanxitang to set up a branch in Jingxian dedicated to using Xuan paper to reproduce printed treasures like Siku Quanshu, an encyclopedia compiled under the edict of Emperor Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Chen Guanglan, manager of Sanxitang's Jingxian branch, firmly advocates for the trustworthiness of Xuan paper over digital methods when it comes to preserving ancient texts.

"I believe that digitalization is merely of temporary use, incapable of serving as a lasting tool for the development and perpetuation of traditional cultural heritage. We place greater trust in preserving our cultural legacy through traditional means," she says.