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 | Thursday, April 27, 2000, updated at 16:16(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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Chinese Old Traditions SurviveMountains which once made access to many small remote villages in southwestern Yunnan Province difficult and slowed the process of modernization, have helped keep some of China's oldest traditions alive, preventing them from being obliterated as they were in other parts of the country, China Daily reported on April 10.Longshang Village, a tiny, quiet hamlet nestled at the foot of Gaoligong Mountains in west Yunnan, is such an example. In Longshang, craftsmen still use an ancient and complex method of making paper by hand, much as they did when the technique was first invented during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). At that time, each family in the village was a household workshop. Papermaking revenue accounted for about half of each family's total annual income and the other half came from farming. Nature has blessed Long-shang with everything needed to produce paper. The three most important ingredients for production - trees, water and strong alpine sunshine - are all abundant. Papermaking techniques have since improved and were passed down in Longshang from generation to generation. Market competition affects even the oldest of traditions. Since the quality of the paper differs from family to family, prices also vary. If the papermaking business in Longshang eventually succumbs to modern factories, it will not be the only victim. Neighbouring Suojia Village will suffer too. Once spurred by the booming papermaking business in Longshang, Suojia has developed into a printing center. Many households in Suojia still retain the antique printing plate for making zhima, a general term for the human figures, carriages, horses made of paper and burned as offerings to the dead at traditional funerals. Although they don't look as shiny and slick as modern posters, the rough, unpolished prints are a testament to something often forgotten by the modern world - the beauty of simplicity.
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