Xingyi Wu, Postgraduate Student in Psychology, University of Melbourne
Introduction to Jian-zhi
“Jian-zhi (笺纸)”, in Chinese, refers to well-made small-sized paper. Its origin can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (about 1200 years ago), where private homemade studio paper (dyed Jian-zhi known as “Cai-jian (彩笺)”) specially used for writing poetry and letters emerged, as the literati were discerning about their stationery to showcase their taste and differentiate themselves from the public.1 As the paper-making techniques developed, till the late Ming Dynasty (around 1601), there were many innovative applications of printing techniques, leading to the peak of the development and production of Jian-zhi.2 Literati started to decorate Jian-zhi with delicate colour woodblock prints using water-soluble pigment.3 It was known as “Hua-jian (花笺)”, which then became popular, making it one of the most cherished varieties of stationery among the literati at that time. Later, as this kind of studio paper became over popular and had limited production, and so it gradually went beyond its practical value and was seen as collectable for appreciation. It led to the publication of many “Jian-pu (笺谱)”, which are categorized collections of Jian-zhi with distinct prints.
Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu: Printing Techniques
Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu (十竹斋笺谱), originally published in 16444, is one of the most well-made coloured collections representing the advanced achievement in woodblock prints in ancient China. It applied various printing techniques including two special types known as “Dou-ban (饾版)” and “Gong-hua (拱花)”.5
Dou-ban was one of the traditional techniques used for monochrome and colour woodblock relief prints.6 For this technique, line drafts were drawn on the plank side of the wood according to the colouring of the original drawing, where each colour required one separate block. This can result in hundreds of small woodblocks waiting to be cut and fixed onto positions for the entire collection. The woodblocks then acted as the flat raised printing surface in traditional relief prints, where each colour was printed one by one, from the lightest to the darkest using pigments or ink, resulting in replicable prints similar to the originals. Many categories in Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu have showcased the use of this traditional technique. Some representative categories in Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu include but are not limited to Roll One, Hua-hou (华后) shown in Figure 1 and 2, Roll Two, Ru-lin (入林) shown in Figure 3 and 4, and Roll Two, Mo-you (墨友) shown in Figure 5 and 6.
In contrast, the application of Gong-hua involves no colour and purely relies on pressure to press the pattern onto the paper.7 The technician would wet the paper slightly before putting it in between two woodblocks. By sandwiching two blocks together and applying pressure manually, three-dimensional effects with protruding and concave lines can be created once the paper was completely dry. It is similar to metal stamping, but each piece was unique as the final result all depended on how much and where the pressure has been applied by the technician. Roll Two, Wu-hua (无华), shown in Figure 7 and 8, is a category that showcase the pure effects of Gong-hua, where at a glance there was nothing on the paper, but the three-dimensional illustrations emerge when looking sideways or caressing gently. Meanwhile, Gong-hua can also be applied alongside Dou-ban to create unique and fascinating prints that surprise the audience (Roll Two, Zhe-zeng (折赠), Figure 9 and 10).
There are several challenges when applying these techniques. First, there should be proper selections of the original drawings that can be reproduced, second, extra efforts should be put onto the cutting, positioning, and printing of the woodblocks, as mistakes in any of these steps would ruin the whole block or the whole drawing, meaning that the technician will have to start over. Thus, the publication of Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu was a combination of efforts of the best carvers and painters across the country at that time, making it one of the most representable pieces in Chinese woodblock prints history.
Themes and Meanings
Looking at the content of Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu, in total there are four volumes, containing 283 pieces of Hua-jian categorized into 33 sets.8 Natural landscapes, decorative artifacts, and figures are the three main themes in this collection. Plants, especially the “Four Gentlemen (四君子)” (a collective term in Chinese art referring to four plants: the plum blossom (梅), the orchid (兰), the bamboo (竹), and the chrysanthemum(菊)), took up more than half of all drawings in natural landscapes. These elements are often used to represent not only the beauty of nature but also the symbolic characteristics that people gave them. For example, the Four Gentlemen plants represent Courage, Grace, Humble, and Solitary respectively. Thus, when praising these plants, it was in fact the moral and cultural entities, artistic atmosphere, and spiritual pursuit they embed that are being praised. And the same theory can apply to other objects and themes as well.
Furthermore, when the literati send out the proper Jian-zhi of their choice, the meaning of the illustrations went along with the text. Even more, it is believed that sometimes the illustrations convey meanings different from the text as an implicit way of communication when direct thoughts cannot be written. For instance, when someone is writing a casual greeting letter to a friend who works in the royal court, the bamboo print on the paper may imply sincere advice for laying low, standing for justice, or staying away from corruption.
Therefore, it is not hard to see that the ancient literati at that time tried to find their own ways of expressing their emotions and feelings in a time full of social conflict across social classes. It is believed that they strived to create an artistic and aesthetic environment for themselves and sought symbolic art to express their ideas and spiritual pursuits in face of reality.
Reprints in the 20th Century
As an outstanding collection, Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu was so popular when it was first published, yet few original copies were handed down due to wars during the transition from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty. It was so rare that in 1934, Chinese modern literati Lu Xun (鲁迅) and Zheng Zhen-duo (郑振铎) decided to reprint Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu for passing down this valuable cultural heritage. They strived to have the print shop using the same traditional printing techniques mentioned above for the reprints, resulting in a seven-year work with the final launch of the first modern reprint version in 19419, which has allowed continuous reprints in the following decades.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Shi Zhu Zhai Jian Pu is a splendid treasure in Chinese woodblock prints history. It has accumulated valuable experiences in the making of such publications using traditional techniques and has allowed us to glance at a small yet rich part of ancient Chinese culture that was no longer popular due to the rise of digital technology. Yet, we are not to forget the past but to remember and record these amazing achievements as they still fascinate us today.
Endnotes
[1] Liu Yunfeng 刘运峰, ‘Wenfang qingwan - jianzhi shang 文房清玩—笺纸(上)’, Shijie wenhua (世界文化), no.1, 2011, p. 34.
[2] Liu, ‘Wenfang qingwan’, p.35.
[3] Liu, ‘Wenfang qingwan’, p.35.
[4] Liu, ‘Wenfang qingwan’, p.35.
[5] Wang Chunna 王春娜, Jianpu sheji yanjiu – yi shizhuzhai jian pu wei li 笺谱设计研究—以十竹斋笺谱为例 (A research on the design of letter paper album-with shi zhu zhai letter paper album as an example), (Master’s thesis, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology), 2011, p.9. See also Bamber Gascoigne, How to identify prints : a complete guide to manual and mechanical processes from woodcut to ink jet, 2nd edition, Thames & Hudson, 2004.
[6] Wang, Jianpu sheji yanjiu,p.9.
[7] Wang, Jianpu sheji yanjiu,p.1.
[8] Wang, Jianpu sheji yanjiu,p.34.
[9] Zhao Qian 赵前, Zheng zhenduo xiansheng yu shizhuzhai jianpu 郑振铎先生与十竹斋笺谱, www.nlc.cn/newhxjy/mrg/res/pdf/zzdyszzjp.pdf accessed 15 March 2023.