Papermaking

Given the abundance of two kinds of paper plants - daphne and edgeworthia -, the Bhutanese are said to have produced paper as early as the 8th century and supplied it for the big translation projects in Tibet. Paper is made from the bark of the two shrubs after turning the bark into pulp, pulp mixed with water and then strained on a frame made of bamboo or reeds and finally dried. Bhutan often sent gifts of paper to Tibetan lamas and sold paper to Tibet. Due to its value, paper tax was also imposed on some of the citizens in the past.