PAPER::
The principal kind of paper used in Chinese painting is xuan paper, so called because it is made in Xuancheng in Anhui province. In the West, xuan paper is commonly know as rice paper. It comes in three finishes: sized, semi-sized and unsized. Sized xuan paper is coated with a solution of alum, which renders it less absorbent and therefore makes it easier to control the ink. It is best for landscape and flower-and-bird paintings in the gongbi style. Semi-sized xuan paper is treated with thin rice gruel or soya bean milk diluted with a great deal of water so that it remains absorbent but not as diffusive as unsized paper; ink and colours applied to it have a smooth and lustrous appearance. Unsized xuan paper is used for landscape and flower-and-bird painting in the xieyi style in which some degree of diffusion is an advantage.
Xuan paper is manufactured in sheets of standard size. In China it is sold in various forms: scrolls, couplets, sets of four(for doing panoramic scenes) and in long rolls made by joining sheets together. When selecting xuan paper, hold a sheet up to the light. If you see cloudlike patterns, it means it contains much cottony material and the paper is of good quality. Another test is to hold the paper in one hand and shake it; if it is good quality it will emit a crisp sound.
When practising, you can use sized 'moon' paper, which is available in rolls from China and Japan, and maobian paper, made from bamboo. But once accustomed to painting on maobian you may find it hard to paint on xuan paper, which is more absorbent.
Gold paper (gold particlesn sprinkled in the texture) can be used for variety and special effects. It is available in different colours, blue, pink and lemon .
For interest, I mention here other papers which have traditionally been used in Chinese painting but are not nessarily available in the West or used much in China today. Pi paper (literally, leather paper), made from bast fibres, has been used in landscape painting for centuries. It is a tough paper with similar properties to semi-sized xuan paper, but is softer. Fa paper(with hair-like patterns in the texture), chalk paper(coated with powdered chalk), gaoli paper(originally made in Korea, it was often used to paper windows in old-style Chinese houses); these papers are non-absorbent, often smooth and glossy, and do not take ink easily.
Paper not in use should be wrapped up and stored in a cabinet. Precautions should be taken against mildew, which causes clusters of non-absorbent dots to appear on the paper, and against damage by wind and rain. In China, mounting shops work with windows tightly closed even in summer.
Silk can also be used to paint on, but is more suited to gongbi-style paintings. Today, it is treated with alum first. Gauze was also used by the old masters, but if used it must be sized because otherwise the ink and colours would soak through.