Tibetan paper
Tibetan paper is a wildcrafted handmade Central Tibetan paper made from the root of Stellera chamaejasme. Introduced in the 7th century, Tibetan paper is pest-repellent, due to Stellera's poisonous compounds.
History
Papermaking was introduced to Tibet from Tang China. The earliest recorded mention of Tibetan paper was a 648 CE request from the founder of the Tibetan Empire, Songtsen Gampo, to Taizong of Tang for paper and writing materials, recorded in the Old [Book of Tang]. Paper may have been introduced to the region earlier by the Princess Wencheng, who married Songtsen Gampo in 641 CE. Wooden slips were banned by imperial Tibetan edict in 744 in favor of paper.In early Tibetan papermaking, lower-altitude Kham and Amdo first produced paper made from the bark of Daphne, Edgeworthia, or Wikstroemia shrubs, much like Nepali Lokta paper. The unique Tibetan paper came about as papermakers in higher-altitude Ü-Tsang and Ngari relied on the pest plant Stellera chamaejasme for locally-available paper fibers.
Archaeological caches of Tibetan paper include the Dunhuang manuscripts. Early Tibetan paper was used in accordion book codices, printed with woodblocks.
Production
Tibetan paper uses the bast fiber of the root and stem of Stellera, sometimes mixed with Daphne or Edgeworthia bark; the plant's epidermis is stripped, then the bast stripped further away. The fibers are boiled with barley, wood ash, and other additives. After washing, the fibers are pulped and made into a slurry before screening with a floating deckle and drying.The paper could then be layered together with wheatpaste, sized and burnished with a dzi bead for smoothness and strength. Historically, yak milk was used with wheatpaste.