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A family of four generations devoted to Tibetan paper making
By:China Tibet Online
update:August 07,2018
 
"This tradition has been passed down by our ancestors; come home and do it, too!" Tsering Dorje encouraged his two sons to return home in order to inherit the papermaking skills.
 
At first, his sons spent their time absentmindedly in the workshop.
 
Seeing his sons' behaviors, Tsering Dorje took out the national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor certificate and put it before them: "Is this just for our family? No, it's something the country needs us to do."
 
Holding the heavy certificate, the brothers realized their mistakes and began to follow their father seriously, learning the skills anew.
 
With help from the local government, Tsering Dorje's papermaking workshop moved from Shora Village to the industrial park in the county town.
 
The newly-built paper mill can produce more than 4,800 sheets of paper per year. The cost of one piece of paper is 70 yuan (10.2 US dollars), and apart from production costs, they earn a yearly income of less than 100,000 yuan (14,624.2 US dollars).
 
Even so, Tsering Dorje is eager to visit a number of schools, teaching children the techniques of Tibetan papermaking, and he has also started his own intangible cultural heritage base and Tibetan paper sales sites.
 
Today, the father and sons are the only inheritors of Shora Tibetan papermaking, and Tsering Dorje regards the Tibetan paper handicraft as his family's heirloom. His only conviction is making Tibetan paper better and passing it down.
 
"Tibetan paper has been left to us by our ancestors. It is both a craft and a culture. We must not only maintain it, but also pass it down," he said.
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