Traditional Chinese painting or calligrapy is executed on Xuan paper or silk fabrics, it tends to incur worm and broken easily if stored for a long time if not well be displayed. In addition, it cannot stands damp and dry. For prolonging the Lifespan of Chinese paintings, it is very important to learn some knowledge about the protection of Chinese painting.

Peony - Mounted - Chinese Painting

Chinese Rice Paper has a history of over 1,000 years. It is made from the bark of the wingceltis (Pteroceltis tartarinowii) mixed with rice straw. The making of xuan paper is a painstaking procedure involving 18 processes and nearly 100 operations and lasting over 300 days from the selection of materials to the finished product.

Flowers

The xuan zhi is praised as the king of all papers and is supposed to last a thousand years. This is because it is white as alabaster, soft and firm, resistant to ageing and worms. It absorbs but does not spread the ink from the brush, which goes over it with a feel neither too smooth nor too rough. For these qualities, the xuan paper is not only used for painting and calligraphy, it is increasingly used nowadays for diplomatic notes, important archives and other documents. In addition, it may also be used for blotting, filtering and moisture-proof purposes.

Compared with canvas for oil painting, Xuan paper is much thinner than canvas. The only flaw of Xuan paper is that it's easily torn like other papers. But after mounting to protect it, it becomes much firm.

Landscape - Mounted - Chinese Painting

1. Brushes for Chinese Painting

Three types of brushes are used in Chinese painting:
(1) Round brushes with a sharp tip made from stiff hair such as deer or ox. The brush hairs retain a bounce or spring when wet. A decent brush will regain its sharp tip when you decrease the pressure on the brush, enabling you to vary the width of a single brushstroke by increasing or decreasing the pressure.
(2) Round brushes with a sharp tip made from soft hair such as goat or rabbit. The brush becomes floppy when wet and the hairs don't bounce, so when it loses its shape as you apply it to the paper, giving you less control over the brush mark.
(3) Hake brushes: wide, flat brushes with short hair.

2. Ink stick

Carbon powder from wood and oils are mixed with glue and pressed into wooden moulds to make traditional black ink sticks for Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. The precise ingredients and processes are shrouded in secrecy, but we can tell you that Great Art ink sticks are made from fine particle pine wood soot, and offer a range of density from jet black to more bluish tones.

3. Ink stone

If you're using an ink stick, you'll need a suitable container for turning it into liquid ink. Traditionally this is an ink stone made from slate, but small ceramic bowl or even a plastic one will also work. Use only a small quantity of ink at a time so you don't waste any and don't let it dry in the ink stone or you'll struggle to get it off. A heavier container has the advantage that it won't easily move when you put a brush into the ink.

4.Xuan Paper

The paper included in the Four Treasures of the Study specially refers to Xuan Paper (paper produced in Xuancheng). It is exclusively intended for exercising and creating Chinese calligraphy and painting. The original production place of Xuan Paper is present-day Jing County in Anhui Province. It takes as the raw material the Wingceltis exclusive to the mountainous areas in the South of Anhui Province. Xuan Paper is of strong ink absorption and easy to store. It can maintain the flexibility even after a long period of time.

Fish&Peony - Chinese Painting

Xuan paper was first mentioned in ancient Chinese books Notes of Past Famous Paintings and New Book of Tang. It was originally produced in the Tang Dynasty in Jing County, Anhui, as well as in neighboring cities such as Xuancheng and Taiping. By the Song Dynasty, the paper producing industries in Huizhou, Chizhou and Xuanzhou were gradually transferred to Jing County. The county was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture in the Tang Dynasty, hence the name Xuan paper.

Due to different producing methods, Xuan paper can be classified into Shengxuan, Shuxuan, and Banshuxuan. Shengxuan (literally "Raw Xuan"), which is not specially processed, excels in its ability to absorb water, causing the ink on it to blur. Shuxuan (literally "Ripe Xuan"), however, is smeared on by Potassium alum during its production, which results in its texture being harder and its ability to absorb water weaker. This feature makes Shuxuan more suitable for Xieyi rather than Gongbi, and more easily torn at the same time. Banshuxuan (literally "Half-ripe Xuan") has intermediate absorbability, between Shengxuan and Shuxuan.

Xuan paper features great tensile strength, smooth surface, pure and clean texture and clean stroke, great resistance to crease, corrosion, moth and mold. The majority of ancient Chinese books and paintings by famous painters that survived till today are well preserved on Xuan paper. Xuan paper won the Golden Award at the Panama International Exposition in 1915.

The material Xuan paper uses is closely related to the geography of Jing County. The bark of Pteroceltis tatarinowii, a common species of elm in the area, was used as the main material to produce Xuan paper. Rice, along with several other materials later added in Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty such as bamboo and mulberry, were also used in the producing of Xuan paper.

The production procedure of Xuan paper can be loosely divided into 18 items, and strictly into over a hundred, of which some are kept secret from other people. It includes steaming and bleaching of the bark of Pteroceltis tatarinowii, as well as the addition of a variety of juices.