Imperial Papermaking System of the Tang Dynasty

Timeline

1. c. 700–730Court of Imperial Manufactures, Chang'an · ShaanxiThe early Tang court followed Sui institutions, with the Court of Imperial Manufactures overseeing paper mills in the capital and prefectures, using hemp fibers as the main material through retting, beating, forming, and drying to produce writing paper. Paper had by then replaced bamboo and silk as the main writing medium, but output and quality management still awaited institutionalization.
2. c. 731–760Xuancheng, Wuzhou, Yizhou · ChinaIn the High Tang a tribute paper system took shape, with famous papers such as Xuancheng's 'Xuan paper' and Yizhou's 'Xue Tao stationery' regularly tributed to the imperial storehouse. The court graded papers by use: Chengxintang paper for palace calligraphy and painting, hemp paper for statutes and household registers, bark paper for general documents; papermaking workshops and raw material regions were incorporated into prefectural and county tax and corvée scheduling.
3. c. 761–800The two capitals and prefectures of Jiangnan · ChinaAfter the mid-Tang, woodblock printing rose, imposing new requirements on paper uniformity, ink absorption, and tensile strength; official and private mills adjusted pulping and sizing accordingly. Despite disruption from regional warlordism and warfare, tribute paper and market paper coexisted, and Jiangnan papermaking expanded continuously under fiscal and imperial examination demand.