[Edit this paragraph] [origin and characteristics]
The earliest records of rice paper found in "ancient paintings", "New Book of Tang" and so on. From the Tang Dynasty, along the ages. Xuan paper is the origin of Jing County, Anhui Province. In addition, Jingxian near Xuancheng, Taiping also produce such paper. To the Song Dynasty, Huizhou, Chizhou, Xuanzhou and other places of the paper industry gradually shifted focus on Jing County. At that time these areas are Xuanzhou government jurisdiction, so the production of paper here is called "Xuan paper", also known as Jingxian paper. Because rice paper is easy to save, durable not brittle, will not fade and other characteristics, it is "paper life thousands of years," the reputation.
(121 years) after the death of Cai Lun, disciples Kong Dan in Wannan paper, would like to create a white paper, a good teacher for the portrait, to cherish the memory of the table. After a canyon in the river, occasionally an ancient pteroceltis trees, lying on the river, due to the water washing, bark rotten white, exposing streaks of long white fibers, Kong Dan ecstatic, taken to Paper, after repeated tests, and finally succeeded, which is later Xuan paper.
According to the Qing Emperor Qianlong rebuilt << Cao Cao clan of small ridge >> Preface: 'The end of the Song Dynasty bustling occasion, beacon four, to avoid chaos busy Cao Cao Zhonggong eighth generation Sun, moved by the Qiu Chuan Jing, , Points from the 13 House, the Department of mountain clover, the field is scarce, unable to cultivate, because Yi Cai Lun technique for industry, to Victoria livelihood. Cao Dachang inherited the papermaking technology of our predecessors, and through practice, we have gradually improved, and finally made a clean white paper, because paper distribution center in the state of Xuancheng, hence the name Xuan paper.
The famous paper of Xuan paper began in the Tang Dynasty, and Zhang Yiyuan, a famous painting critic of the Tang Dynasty, said: "The good thing is to set up 100 pieces of rice paper and use wax for the sake of copying." This shows that the Tang Dynasty . According to the "Old Tang" records, Tianbao two years (743 years), Jiangxi, Sichuan, southern Anhui, eastern Zhejiang paper tribute, and Xuancheng County paper is particularly beautiful. Visible rice paper at the time has been crowned around. After the Southern Tang Li Yu, who has personally produced the "Chen Xin Tang" paper, is the treasures of rice paper, it "skin, such as egg membrane, Jianruyu, thin Guangrun, crown in a moment.
Xuan paper with "tough and can run, light and not slip, white dense, pure texture, rubbing non-destructive, ink-strong" and other characteristics, and a unique permeability, lubrication performance. Writing is the God of God, painting is a high spirits, to become the best embodiment of the Chinese art style of calligraphy and painting, the so-called "ink color," that is completed, shades of shades, texture visible, ink rhyme clear, structured, The use of rice paper, ink control, control the proportion of ink, Yun Ji has caused by a result of art. Coupled with anti-aging, do not change color. Less insects, long life, it is "the king of the paper, Millennium Shouzhi," the reputation said. In the 19th century at the Panama International Paper Competition gold medal. Xuan paper in addition to the poem painting, or writing diplomatic notes, save the best archives and historical documents of the best paper. China has spread a large number of rare ancient books, famous ink painting, mostly with rice paper preservation, still as ever.
China's three major rice paper origin: Anhui, Sichuan, Zhejiang
[Edit this paragraph] [Xuan paper classification]
■ classification by processing methods, Xuan paper is divided into the general can be divided into Health declared, cooked Xuan, semi-cooked declared three.
Health propaganda category are folder Gong, jade version, the net skin, a single declaration, even cotton. Health propaganda is not processed, absorbent and Qinshui are strong, easy to produce rich ink rhyme to the line of ink method, the ink method, to receive water halo ink chapter, vigorous Hua Zi's artistic effect. Freehand landscape use it. Health propaganda painting, although more interesting, but the pen that is set, ink infiltration Qin quickly, not easy to master.
Cooked propaganda is processed with alum and so coated, so the paper declared a harder than the water, water absorption capacity is weak, making the use of ink and color will not Yin dispersed. Therefore, the characteristics, making cooked in strokes rather than ink painting freehand brushwork. The disadvantage is that there will be a long possession of "leakage alum" or brittle fracture. Cooked Xuan can be re-processing, coral, mica Jian, cold gold, wine gold, wax gold rib ribbons, pink tiger and so on by the cooked and then reprocessing of the color of paper. Health declared strong water absorption. With light ink to write, the ink is easy to penetrate, open. Writing in thick ink is relatively easy. Therefore, the creation of calligraphy and painting, the need to master the degree of ink shades, before handy.
Semi-cooked from the propaganda is declared from the processing, water absorption capacity between the first two sectors, "Jade version" is a category.
■ According to the specifications can be divided into four feet, five feet, six feet, eight feet, Zhang II, Zhang six feet a variety of; according to the thickness of the can be divided into three kinds of cotton, net skin, special net; Double silk, rib, moire, white deer, etc .; in addition to raw and cooked points, such as alum declared, such as algae, monosodium glutamate, Chan Yi, color throwing gold, antique color declaration, watermark Wadang, a total of about 60 kinds. In general, the cotton material refers to the raw material Tan Paper content of about 40% of the paper, thinner, lighter; net skin is the Tanpi content of more than 60%; and Tepi raw materials Tan skin content of 80% . The higher the proportion of paper, better reflects the rich ink level and better ink effect, the more able to withstand the pen force. The more the paper composition, the more the tensile strength of the paper, the better the quality of the corresponding effect is: Repeated rubbing and paper will not break. This may be why the majority of calligraphy with cotton rice paper, drawing paper with leather one of the reasons most of the paper - not not use the net skin, special paper to write, but cotton rice paper has been able to meet the basic needs of calligraphy ( Unless your calligraphy style is required to be repeatedly applied in the same place with a pen).
宣紙[Chinese paper,rice paper] 紙名。因原產於宣州府（今安徽宣城）而得名，現主要產於安徽涇縣。是中國古代用於書寫和繪畫的紙。
[編輯本段]起源和特色
對宣紙的記載最早見於《歷代名畫記》、《新唐書》等。起於唐代，歷代相沿。宣紙的原產地是安徽省的涇縣。此外，涇縣附近的宣城、太平等地也生產這種紙。到宋代時期，徽州、池州、宣州等地的造紙業逐漸轉移集中於涇縣。當時這些地區均屬宣州府管轄，所以這裏生產的紙被稱為“宣紙”，也有人稱涇縣紙。由於宣紙有易於保存，經久不脆，不會褪色等特點，故有“紙壽千年”之譽。
宣紙民間傳說，東漢安帝建光元年（121年）蔡倫死後，弟子孔丹在皖南造紙，很想造出壹種潔白的紙，好為老師畫像，以表緬懷之情。後在壹峽谷溪邊，偶見壹棵古老的青檀樹，橫臥溪上，由於經流水終年沖洗，樹皮腐爛變白，露出縷縷長而潔白的纖維，孔丹欣喜若狂，取以造紙，經反復試驗，終於成功，這就是後來的宣紙。
據清乾隆年間重修《小嶺曹氏族譜》序言雲：“宋末爭攘之際，烽燧四起，避亂忙忙。曹氏鐘公八世孫曹大三，由虬川遷涇，來到小嶺，分從十三宅，此系山陬，田地稀少，無法耕種，因貽蔡倫術為業，以維生計”。曹大三繼承了前人的造紙技術，經過實踐，遂步提高，終於造出了潔白純凈的好紙，因紙的集散地多在州治宣城，故名宣紙。
宣紙的聞名始於唐代，唐書畫評論家張彥遠所著之《歷代名畫記》雲：“好事家宜置宣紙百幅，用法蠟之，以備摹寫。”這說明唐代已把宣紙用於書畫了。另據《舊唐書》記載，天寶二年（743年），江西、四川、皖南、浙東都產紙進貢，而宣城郡紙尤為精美。可見宣紙在當時已冠於各地。南唐後主李煜，曾親自監制的“澄心堂”紙，就是宣紙中的珍品，它“膚如卵膜，堅潔如玉，細薄光潤，冠於壹時。”
宣紙具有“韌而能潤、光而不滑、潔白稠密、紋理純凈、搓折無損、潤墨性強”等特點，並有獨特的滲透、潤滑性能。寫字則骨神兼備，作畫則神采飛揚，成為最能體現中國藝術風格的書畫紙，所謂“墨分五色，”即壹筆落成，深淺濃淡，紋理可見，墨韻清晰，層次分明，這是書畫家利用宣紙的潤墨性，控制了水墨比例，運筆疾徐有致而達到的壹種藝術效果。再加上耐老化、不變色。少蟲蛀，壽命長，故有“紙中之王、千年壽紙”的譽稱。十九世紀在巴拿馬國際紙張比賽會上獲得金牌。宣紙除了題詩作畫外，還是書寫外交照會、保存高級檔案和史料的最佳用紙。我國流傳至今的大量古籍珍本、名家書畫墨跡，大都用宣紙保存，依然如初。
我國三大宣紙產地：安徽，四川，浙江
[編輯本段]宣紙的分類
■按加工方法分類，宣紙分為壹般可分為生宣，熟宣、半熟宣三種。
生宣的品類則有夾貢、玉版、凈皮、單宣、棉連等。生宣是沒有經過加工的，吸水性和沁水性都強，易產生豐富的墨韻變化，以之行潑墨法、積墨法，能收水暈墨章、渾厚華滋的藝術效果。寫意山水多用它。生宣作畫雖多墨趣，但落筆即定，水墨滲沁迅速，不易掌握。
熟宣是加工時用明礬等塗過，故紙質較生宣為硬，吸水能力弱，使得使用時墨和色不會洇散開來。因此特性，使得熟宣宜於繪工筆畫而非水墨寫意畫。其缺點是久藏會出現“漏礬”或脆裂。熟宣可再加工，珊瑚、雲母箋、冷金、酒金、蠟生金花羅紋、桃紅虎皮等皆為由熟宣再加工的花色紙。生宣則吸水力強。用淡墨水寫時，墨水容易滲入，化開。用濃墨水寫則相對容易。故創作書畫時，需要掌握好墨的濃淡程度，方可得心應手。
半熟宣也是從生宣加工而成，吸水能力界乎前兩者之間，“玉版宣”即屬此壹類。
■宣紙品種按原料配比可分為棉料、凈皮、特凈三大類；按規格可分為四尺、五尺、六尺、八尺、丈二、丈六尺多種；按厚薄可分為紮花、綿連、單宣、夾宣等；按紙紋可分為單絲路、雙絲路、羅紋、龜紋、白鹿等；此外還有生熟之分，如礬宣、蟬衣、彩色灑金、仿古色宣、水印瓦當等，***約六十多種。 壹般來說，棉料是指原材料檀皮含量在40％左右的紙，較薄、較輕；凈皮是指檀皮含量達到60％以上的；而特皮原材料檀皮的含量達到80％以上。皮料成分越重，紙張更能經受拉力，質量也越好；對應使用效果上就是：檀皮比例越高的紙，更能體現豐富的墨跡層次和更好的潤墨效果，越能經受筆力反復搓揉而紙面不會破。這或許就是為什麽書法用棉料宣紙的居多、畫畫用皮類紙居多的原因之壹——並不是不能用凈皮、特皮紙寫字，而是棉料宣紙已經基本能夠滿足書法的需要了（除非您的書法風格是需要在同壹個地方用筆反復塗抹）。