Rice Paper

It has been argued that the invention of paper and its subsequent use are responsible for the development of civilization throughout the world. When we think about the uses of paper and paper fibers -- books, magazines, notebooks, cardboard, cigarettes, tissue, stationary, construction materials, and packaging -- it is difficult to disagree.

.

Above: examples of paper's many uses

True paper was invented in China, reportedly by Ts'ai Lun in approximately 105 A.D.. Whether he was the actual inventor or the patron attributed we cannot know, but he reported the first use of beaten bark, cloth, and hemp to create the substrate we are familiar with today. He was looking for a solution to the common practice of creating calligraphy on silk or bamboo -- a practice in effect from many previous centuries. The cost and inconvenience of these earlier writing surfaces inspired Ts'ai Lun to experiment with other materials and thus discover a "true" paper. The technique of papermaking slowly spread to Japan from Korea and mulberry paper fabrication was introduced into the country by Buddhist monks.

Above: The influence of Chinese culture can still be seen today

It was in Japan, 500 years after Ts'ai Lun's invention, that paper was first used as a printing surface. Various plants and plant fibers were exploited over the years to find a better material to form paper. Mulberry, gampi, and mitsumata (Edgeworthia papyrifera) plants were used in Japan; hemp, bamboo, and rice straw in China.

left: calligraphy on silk / right: women crafting traditional nons

The Making of Paper

Although the quantity and quality of paper manufacturing has changed over the years, the essential ingredients of water, plant fibers, and screens have remained the basic building blocks of creating this versatile substrate. Paper is formed by dipping screens, or molds, into macerated plant fibers floating in water. Today treated wood pulp is the most common plant fiber in use for commercial purposes. Large sheets of felt carrying wet pulp run through a series of cylinders in modern factories, resulting in huge rolls of perfectly formed paper. At the same time, handmade paper is still being made, one sheet at a time, for a variety of reasons. Whether economic, artistic, or aesthetic, sheets made by hand employ the same methods that have been practiced for centuries. Plant fibers are placed in water and beaten to a pulp. To prepare the plants for this process the bark, stalks, or pith are stripped from the plant, cleaned, and left to soak.

Above: gathering the raw materials, transporting the cut branches, soaking the branches to prepare for the pulping process

Some raw material such as mulberry and bamboo must be boiled before it can be beaten. Early papermakers used stone mortars and pestles or mallets to pulp the fibers. When paper was introduced to Europe in the 12th century, the use of water power quickly replaced manual maceration. It was not until the late 17th century that the Hollander beater was invented by the Dutch. This type of cylinder beater is still in use today. After the fibers are beaten size, dyes, bleach or other additives can be introduced to the pulp in order to change its characteristics and make the final product receptive to ink. It is into this pulp that a mold is dipped. A mold is essentially a screen made of metal wires woven tightly enough that the pulp will not escape yet allows the water to drain back into the vat from which it came. The screen is surrounded by two frames, one of which the screen is permanently attached to, the other is removable. The removable frame is put into place before the mould is dipped into the pulp. The papermaker dips the mould into the vat at a slight angle to pick up as much pulp as possible. The excess water is allowed to drain while the mold is held parallel to the vat, then the mould is simultaneously rotated and shaken to ensure that the pulp remaining will lie perfectly even on the screen without bunching or thinning in any spot. This motion also insures that the pulp will bond together. Once the excess water has been drained, the removable frame is removed and the bonded pulp is flipped onto absorbent felts slightly larger than the newly formed sheet. This process is repeated until the papermaker is ready to "couch" the sheets. Couching (pronounced koo-ching) is the practice of placing the felts and the wet sheets under a press and squeezing out the remaining water. The paper is then separated from the felts and put under another press to dry, taking care to periodically rotate the sheets to prevent adhesion.

The magic of paper is that during the process the fibers attach at the molecular level, resulting the in the substrate we have all grown to love and depend on.

Rice Paper

Rice is a staple grain for almost half of the world's population. Although thought of as an Asian crop, it is also grown in India, Europe and America. Rice paper was named erroneously since it does not have properties of paper and it is not made of rice. Rice is planted in flooded fields after the dirt is plowed to prepare the soil. After the seeds germinate the water is drained off. The fields are flooded a second time when the rice is ready for harvesting. The harvesting is still done by hand in most countries. Once the stalk is cut the rice seeds are separated from the chaff by either stamping or beating it. The grains are then dried and a final pounding to separate the hulls is performed before the rice can be cooked for eating. Rice flour is made by continually pounding the grains into a fine powder. Rice powder was used by the Chinese to size paper as early as the 8th century. This continued for almost 700 years until animal glue was substituted. Today rice starch is used as an archival adhesive in bookbinding. Rice straw, on the other hand, is used in both China and Japan for papermaking. In Japan it is divided into three categories: sube, nakanuki, and do-u. Sube is of the finest quality and made from the part of straw extending from the head to the first node of the plant.

Above: fields are flooded in preparation of rice planting

Above: oxen are used to plow the fields and then the seedlings are planted in water

Above: Once the rice has grown it is ready to harvest

Above: rice stalks are cut, and the rice seeds are separated from the chaff, the grains are dried

Above: Rice straw is prepared -- after the rice stalks are cut they are left in sun to dry before they can be made into pulp

The so-called rice paper was originally thought to be made by macerating the pith of rice and spreading it into sheets. It was not until the late 19th century that its true manufacture was discovered by Europeans. It is defined as "a nonfibrous sheet which technically is not paper, but made fromt he pith of trees cut up in thin layers with a sharp knife to produce an ivory-like textured surface." (Lavigne) Rice paper in fact is made from the pith of the rice-paper plant, Tetrapanax papyriferus. This plant is native to Taiwan and the first mention of using it was in 1634 by a Chinese author. Untold confusion about its true characteristics has been promulgated by the nicknames of other papers with similar appearance. In Japan a thin, white paper made from mulberry was called rice paper and the Chinese produced a similar paper of bleached rice stalks which they also called rice paper. The rice-paper plant's branches are cut into 4 foot lengths and then put into water to soak. The pith is then extracted and dried and the stalks are pared creating long spiral strips which are then flattened and cut into smaller squares. It is much like papyrus in that no pulp, vats, or screens are used in its manufacture. Rice paper was introduced into Europe in 1805. The novelty of creating artificial flowers by dying and then folding the rice paper became quite popular.

Left: presentation of rice paper flowers

In Asian countries rice paper is used for painting and calligraphy. It can be boiled and used as a tea for lung and throat ailments and some Chinese candies come wrapped in rice paper which is edible.

REFERENCES

"Rice" and "Rice Paper" Standard American Encyclopedia v11. Walter Miller, editor-in-chief. Chicago: Consolidated Book Publishers, Inc. 1940.

Hunter, Dard. Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft. Second edition, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1947.

Hunter, Dard. A Papermaking Pilgrimage to Japan, Korea and China. New York: Pynson Printers, 1936.

Hunter, Dard. Papermaking through Eighteen Centuries. New York: William Edwin Rudge, 1930.

Lavigne, John R. Pulp & Paper Dictionary. San Francisco, CA: Miller Freeman Publications, Inc., 1986.

Munsell, Joel. Chronology of the Origin and Progress of Paper and Paper-making. Introduction by Henry Morris. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1980.

Rudin, Bo. Making Paper: A Look into the History of an Ancient Craft. Vallingby, Sweden: Rudin, 1990

Van Ravenswaa, Nancy. "Rice: The Global Crop."The Gateway to Educational Materials, U.S. Department of Education's National Library of Education, ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, 1999. Available [online]: http://www.askasia.org/frclasrm/lessplan/l000008.htm#w. Accessed on Feb 4, 2000.

Strauss, Victor. The Printing Industry: An introduction to its many branches, processes and products. Washington, DC: Printing Industries of America, Inc., 1967.

This site was created by Nina Schneider on 8 February 2000 for UCLA Department of Information Studies IS287-1 for Howard Besser