One of China's four greatest inventions of all time, papermaking was first invented by a secretary, Lun Cai, of the Han dynasty in approximately 105CE. Cai blended natural fibers along with fishnets, thereby creating something that people could write on. His creation caused a sensation in China. Following Cai's invention of papermaking, people came up with the use of bamboos for writing, and it soon became widespread within China. Years later, this technique was acquired by merchants of the Middle East, and papermaking was finally introduced to the Western world.
Rice paper (宣纸), traditionally known in China as Xuan paper, originated in Xuancheng, nowadays a part of Anhui Province in Eastern China. One of the key ingredients of the rice paper is a species of Elm, "pteroceltis tatarinowii", which only grew in the Xuancheng area. Rice paper became the most widely used paper during the Chinese monarchical history, and some of the best-known calligraphies and ancient texts were recorded on rice paper. Due to the sophistication of its production, rice paper is still being handmade as of today.
In the Summer of 2016, three high school students and I attended a film workshop organized by Liuyin Academy and Dominique Othenin-Girard, a renowned film director from Switzerland. We decided to use rice paper as our theme and produce a documentary about the past, present, and future of the rice paper. We finished the 13-minute documentary "Rice Paper: The Eternal Treasure" after weeks of filming, interviewing, and post-production.
Shot and produced in the heartland of rice paper and many more ancient Chinese inventions such as kiln pottery, this documentary reminds us that we must not forget about the humble beginnings of Chinese culture and that we should strive to preserve our celebrated traditions.
Awards / Selections:
Finalist and International Premiere, 2017 Muybridge Short Film Festival (London, United Kingdom)
Official Selection, 2017 All American High School Film Festival (New York, United States)
For more information and detailed credits: https://filmfreeway.com/ricepaper