生宣 Sheng Xuan unsized raw Xuan paper

This is traditional handmade Xuan paper which is an ‘unsized’ paper made from Qing Tan tree bark which has very high water absorption rate. Professionals like it since they can create a lot of beautiful and surprising effects with quick brush strokes. Raw Xuan is also known as a “truth” paper because the paper records the detail of every brush stroke and the extreme water absorbency makes it difficult to correct or hide mistakes.  This same quality also means it is more difficult for beginners to master the raw Xuan paper.
See also Paper Making and Buyer’s Guide.