Guangxing Paper Mill Introduction
Guangxing Paper Workshop is the only remaining handmade paper factory in Taiwan. In 1990, during the decline of the industry, it transformed into a tourist factory to explore and utilize the cultural and historical significance of handmade paper beyond mere production. The factory offers guided tours and experiential courses, allowing the public, through tourism or field trips, to understand the historical context and cultural spirit of handmade paper. Since opening to tourism in 1995, Guangxing has deeply rooted itself in the promotion and education of Taiwan's handmade paper craft. In addition to guided tours occurring every 30 minutes, where visitors can observe the production process of handmade paper, there are also DIY experience classrooms that permit individuals to create their own paper and make cultural products such as small night lights, paper letters, and handprint mementos. Moreover, in recent years, one-day in-depth workshops have been launched, combining different crafts or exploring specific aspects of handmade paper production, enriching the tourism experience. Simultaneously, Guangxing has delved deeply into the cultural and artistic value of handmade paper itself. Historically, Taiwan's handmade paper primarily produced practice paper for painting and calligraphy using wood pulp, but it could not compete with the vast low-cost production of machine-made paper in the market. Accordingly, Guangxing's second-generation owner, through collaboration with artists, has committed to producing high-quality paper for painting and calligraphy made from paper mulberry and rice paper. Although the production of such paper is challenging, it offers a warm ink absorption effect and long-term preservation, possessing irreplaceable qualities compared to machine-made paper. Therefore, the owner, Huang, aimed for this type of paper, repeatedly improving and customizing production based on artists' feedback, gradually establishing nearly a hundred varieties of high-quality painting and calligraphy paper. He created a "paper resume," documenting the names of every craftsman involved in the production, ensuring that the journey of each piece of paper can be traced and that each papermaker can connect with users. This philosophy has not only gained recognition from many artists, solidifying Guangxing's position in Taiwan's painting and calligraphy community but has also been acknowledged by various restoration institutions, using Guangxing-produced paper as materials for artifact restoration. Through this product-oriented transformation, Guangxing has found a market position for handmade paper while preserving the vital production line, promoting the preservation and enhancement of papermaking techniques. Beyond the development of tourism and the improvement of traditional painting and calligraphy paper, Guangxing is also exploring more possibilities for handmade paper. In 2011, it initiated the construction of a "Natural Fiber Creation Library," consisting of one hundred types of paper. During the process of creating these one hundred types of paper, many local residual materials were utilized, such as sugarcane pulp obtained from local farmers, paper made from the shells of Puli's renowned bamboo shoots, and onion skin paper developed in collaboration with the Pingtung Checheng Farmers Association. Many of these residual materials were sourced through cooperation and interaction with local farmers. The presentation of one hundred fiber papers has garnered significant attention in the industry, attracting more diverse cross-industry collaborations, with businesses from various sectors providing surplus resources and utilizing handmade paper craft to transform them into paper and cultural creative products. Such diverse collaborations enable handmade paper not only to carry the cultural connotations of the craft itself but also to serve as a vessel for local cultural stories, ensuring the sustainable development of handmade paper.
Factory Gate
Copy paper 3
