What types of rice paper are there?

1. Classification by processing technology

1. Xuan paper

   • Features : No glue and alum are added, it has strong water absorption and ink penetration, rich ink color layers, and is suitable for freehand painting and cursive calligraphy.
   • Common categories :
     • Jiagong : It has a heavy texture and is often used for mounting;
     • Jade plate : fine fibers, suitable for large-scale ink splashing;
     • Cotton thread : thin and translucent, suitable for copying small regular script.

2. Cooked rice paper

   • Features : After being treated with glue and alum, the paper is hardened and has weak ink absorption, making it suitable for scenes such as fine brushwork and regular script that require fine ink control.
   • Common categories :
     • Cicada wings : extremely thin and transparent, with mica powder sprinkled on the surface;
     • Mica paper : soft luster and strong durability;
     • Bingxue Paper : Thickened rice paper with better wrinkle resistance.

3. Semi-cooked Xuan

   • Features : The ink absorption capacity is between raw and mature, suitable for landscape painting and running script creation.
   • Representative categories : Jade-ban Xuan paper, boiled Xuan paper, gold-sprinkled Xuan paper, etc.

---

2. Classification by raw material ratio

1. Cotton

   • The straw accounts for a high proportion (about 40% of sandalwood bark), the texture is soft, and the ink is evenly applied, making it suitable for calligraphy practice and small-scale freehand painting.

2. Clean skin

   • The sandalwood bark content is over 60%, the fiber has excellent toughness and strong ink expression, making it suitable for landscape painting and seal and clerical script creation.

3. Special clean (special clean leather)

   • The sandalwood bark accounts for more than 80%, has strong tensile strength and resistance to repeated rendering. It is specially used for top-level calligraphy and painting works, and is especially suitable for freehand brushwork and heavy-color fine brushwork.

---

3. Classification by thickness

1. Cotton: the thinnest type , with good light transmittance, suitable for rubbings and letter paper;
2. Single Xuan : Standard thickness, general purpose paper, widely applicable;
3. Xuan paper : double or multi-layer superposition, strong anti-penetration, used for large-scale heavy ink works.

---

4. Special processing categories

1. Antique Xuan paper : dyed to look old, with a yellow-brown base color, suitable for copying ancient paintings and calligraphy;
2. Sprinkled gold/silver : The surface is sprinkled with metal foil, which is highly decorative and is often used for writing inscriptions and gift creation;
3. Wax paper : coated with wax, the paper is smooth and water-resistant, suitable for small regular script and Slender Gold script.

---

Paper selection suggestions

use	Recommended Type
Freehand painting/Cursive	Xuan paper (jade version, extra clean)
Fine-brush painting/Regular script	Cooked rice paper (cicada wing, mica paper)
Daily calligraphy practice	Cotton or semi-cooked rice paper
Antique creation	Antique Xuan paper or Tibetan scripture paper

The actual choice should be based on personal ink usage habits and subject matter requirements