Smooth yet tensile. Versatile (用途广泛的) and durable. With these qualities, Xuan paper     1     (know) as the “Paper of Ages”.

The term Xuan paper first appeared in On Famous Paintings through the Ages, a book     2     (write) by Tang Dynasty (618-907) scholar Zhang Yanyuan, in     3     he described Xuan paper as an ideal carrier for calligraphy and painting. Handmade Xuan paper from Jingxian county, East China’s Anhui province, was listed as     4     gift served to the imperial court for its supreme quality during the period.

The traditional craft of making Xuan paper is     5     (extreme) demanding. Sandalwood bark, a plant native to southern China, goes through 108 procedures together with rice straw over the course of three years before it can transform     6     a bunch of fine Xuan paper. The entire procedure is so complex that even the most skilled craftsman can only master limited number of     7     (step) .

The flow of ink, both guided and resisted by water, determines the output of Chinese art, and Xuan paper outshines others with its excellent     8     (able) to give full play to ink.

Xuan paper     9     (accompany) the passionate brushstrokes of the Chinese literati for thousands of years. Unlike other forms of paper, it is very resistant to damage brought by time. It is this durability that has made the preservations of many     10     (value) works from ancient China possible.

Paper-making is a crystallization of wisdom of the ancient Chinese, and Xuan paper is the top of paper-making.