Chinanews.com, Lhasa, August 25th, title: Tibet Shela Tibetan Paper: Carrying Thousand Years of Ink Fragrance
China News Network reporter Ran Wenjuan
"Shella Tibetan paper will not melt when exposed to water, and will not rot for thousands of years..." In Tibet, people can't help but praise when they mention it.
In Nimu County, Lhasa City, Shela Tibetan paper is listed as one of the three largest Tibetan papers in Tibet for its unique skills and quality. It has a history of more than 1,300 years.
After the baptism of time, the craftsmanship of Shera Tibetan paper has been passed down from generation to generation, carrying the fragrance of ink for thousands of years.
In Nimu County, Lhasa City, craftsmen are processing Shela Tibetan paper.
Photo by Ran Wenjuan
In Shela Village, Nimu County, Tsering Dorje, who is over seventy years old, is the inheritor of Shela Tibetan Paper, a national intangible cultural heritage.
Since learning the art of papermaking at the age of 16, he has guarded and carried forward this ancient art for a lifetime.
Tsering Dorje introduced to reporters that one of the secrets of the durability of Shela Tibetan paper lies in the special raw material-"Lymphomaniaceae".
This plant that grows on grasslands and alpine meadows is collected after soaking, mashing, peeling, tearing, cooking, pounding, beating, pouring, drying, uncovering paper, and calendering to become The paper for writing.
The sap of Pennisetum is poisonous, which makes the Shila Tibetan paper insects not worms, rats bite, and rot.
And its unique production process also makes the Shila paper have the characteristics of not changing color, not easy to tear, not rotten in water, and leaving no folding lines after being stacked.
On the sheets of flexible and lightweight Shela Tibetan paper, Tibet's numerous scriptures and classics over thousands of years have survived the invasion of the years, passed on to the world, and lasted forever.
Handicrafts such as notebooks and bookmarks made of Shela Tibetan paper.
Photo by Ran Wenjuan
In the 1980s, due to the impact of new types of paper and rising production costs, many villagers in Sheila Village chose to go out to work, and Tsering Dorje turned to be a carpenter and warehouse manager.
However, with the development of the local economy and government support for traditional skills, the skills of Shera Tibetan paper gradually reappeared.
In 2011, with the support of the government, Tsering Dorje established a Tibetan paper factory, and the paper-making location was transferred from Sheila Village to Nimu County.
Recently, as the tourism industry continues to prosper, Tsering Dorje has innovated and developed diversified Tibetan paper cultural and creative products based on traditional production techniques.
He developed a new type of decorative paper, which is divided into two layers with flowers, leaves, grass and other natural plants in between.
The paper is unique and is loved by tourists.
The Shera Tibetan paper, which was used mainly for printing Buddhist scriptures, is now also made into Tibetan paper lanterns, Tibetan paper notebooks and other crafts.
At Tsering Dorje’s house, the father and son are now the inheritors of Shela Tibetan paper making skills. According to Tsering Dorje, this is not only a craft handed down from the ancestors, but also represents the unique Tibetan culture. It is hoped that more young people will learn and inherit this craft. (over)