HANJI, KOREAN TRADITIONAl paperS
CHARACTERISTICS OF HANJI, KOREAN TRADITIONAL PAPERS
DURABILITY
The oldest text made of Hanji currently existing in Korea, Muggujungwang, is still well preserved after about 1,200 years.
VENTILATION/TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Hanji is a living and breathing paper to ventilate through air, but also keeps the temperatures
on both sides constant.
WATERPROOF
In March 2006, there was a lamp festival in Paris, France. Many sizes and colors of lamps
were lighted in the Boulogne park. Soon after the festival started, there was a sudden rain,
and people panicked. They were worried that all the lamps would turn off. However, lamps
made out of traditional Hanji (compounded with damp-proof agent) did not turn off. It did
not let the rain through, protecting candle lights within, and it portrayed one of the many
advantages of Hanji.
SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES
The bark from the paper-mulberry trees contains lignin and holocellulose, which contribute
to the durability of Hanji. Ordinary paper has a pH level of 4~5.5, meaning that it is acidic. If
paper has a low pH level (more acidic), it is completely decomposed in 100 years. Hanji,
however, uses Hibiscus Manihot, which has a pH level of 7 and does not get dismantled
easily. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_paper)
