Craftsman's breakthrough paints bright picture

While working in the paper-making industry, Shi found that domestic mills at the time could only produce wood-pulp paper, with no technology for manufacturing high-quality all-cotton watercolor paper.

"The main material for high-grade watercolor paper is cotton, whereas ordinary watercolor paper is made of wood pulp," Shi said.

He then decided to establish his own mill to figure out how to produce watercolor paper and gradually improve the quality.

But the bold move not only required courage, but also persistence and determination.

Occupied with production and running the business, Shi didn't establish his research laboratory until 2012, when he began to devote himself to research and development.

He purchased various watercolor papers from abroad and tirelessly experimented with water usage, cold and hot pressing, and other techniques.

After more than eight months of dedicated work, Shi finally achieved a breakthrough in mid-2013, successfully producing his first batch of all-cotton watercolor paper.

"I was happy and excited about it because it proved that my research was headed in the right direction," said Shi when reflecting on the accomplishment.

His first batch of all-cotton watercolor paper underwent rigorous evaluations by professional testing institutions, showing the physical indicators and other key data meeting certain standards.

However, Shi realized that there was still room for improvement.

Seeking feedback from renowned artists, he discovered that the paper lacked durability and was prone to becoming fuzzy.