The Secret of Paper

« “Paper, we are told, was invented by the Chinese; the fact remains that, where western paper is concerned, we merely have the impression of dealing with a strictly utilitarian material, yet all we have to do is see the texture of Chinese, or Japanese, paper to feel a sort of warmth which puts our heart at ease. With the same whiteness, a western paper differs in nature from a hosho or white paper from China. The light rays seem to bounce off the surface of western paper, whereas that of hosho or Chinese paper, akin to the downy surface of the first snow, gently absorbs them. What is more, our pleasant-to-touch papes can be folded and crumpled noiselessly. Contact with it is soft and slightly damp, like the leaf of a tree”.