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)