{"id":16267,"date":"2020-03-17T12:34:27","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T04:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=16267"},"modified":"2021-06-23T16:51:24","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T08:51:24","slug":"heartmade-handmade-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2020\/03\/heartmade-handmade-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHeartmade\u201d Handmade Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A Handmade paper maker finds a new way to advocate green lifestyle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By Coco Zhang<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/398992951\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">It is easy to buy paper in Hong Kong, but Because Yeung still prefers making her own&nbsp;paper. She learnt the craft when studying at Hong Kong Art School (HKAS). She now makes green wedding cards and offers paper-making workshops to promote green lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to her green production concept and tailor-made design, Yeung is able to sustain her business by making handmade wedding invitation cards using recycled offcuts from local paper mills. \u201cIt is trendy for young people to have a green wedding to spread green message and that\u2019s why they come to me,\u201d says Yeung, \u201cThey want handmade invitation cards which are made from recyclable materials.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"610\" src=\"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-1024x610.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-1024x610.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-768x457.jpg 768w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-696x414.jpg 696w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-1068x636.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-705x420.jpg 705w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9381new-1920x1143.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The material of these wedding invitation cards is handmade paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from making wedding invitation cards, Yeung also organises workshops to promote green lifestyle. She teaches participants how to turn a common waste like milk cartons into usable handmade paper by showing them how to separate plastic films from the cartons. \u201cThe best way to persuade people to save paper is to let them do it and see how hard-won it is,\u201d says Yeung.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although more and more people are adopting a paperless lifestyle and relying on electronic devices, Yeung still makes paper because she believes paper is irreplaceable. She says the thickness of a book can influence readers\u2019 experience and its texture can help you immerse in the story. \u201cPaper raises the temperature of reading,\u201d says Yeung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Make paper from scratch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeung\u2019s love affair with handmade paper started when she was studying in Hong Kong Art School (HKAS). At that time, the campus had just relocated in the rural area and she was assigned to design a poster to celebrate the 10<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;anniversary for the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wandering around the new campus, Yeung was inspired by the surrounding environment. She decided to create an artwork featuring the natural environment around the campus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The paper available in the market is too thin and its texture is too smooth to fulfil her aesthetic requirement. \u201cThere is really no choice but to do it by myself,\u201d says Yeung.&nbsp;There was no paper-making course available in Hong Kong seven years ago, so she learnt it by watching clips on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI like the state of paper when it\u2019s in the water, which resembles the clouds in the sky, \u201dsays Yeung, \u201cThe paper pulp is high in plasticity and I like its plasticity and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9392new-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The handmade paper is made of recycled paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Turn hobby to her career<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeung had never thought about turning her hobby into&nbsp;a career until she was invited to hold a paper-making workshop in HKAS\u2019s open day.&nbsp;The event was a turning point in Yeung\u2019s life \u2013 she started thinking about setting up a studio to make handmade paper or books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeung was a full-time designer in an advertising company back then. She decided to quit her job and start her own paper-making business. \u201cYou never know whether you have made the right decision until you get a result,\u201d says Yeung, \u201cYou won\u2019t succeed if you don\u2019t take action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cYou won&#8217;t succeed if you don&#8217;t take action.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Introduced by her friends, she went to Taiwan to learn traditional paper-making techniques from a paper-making family. She received a systematic training from planting mulberry trees to selecting raw materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Yeung is happy that she can turn her interest into a career, she feels confused sometimes.&nbsp;When making paper, she needs to stand for hours and sometimes up to five hours a day, especially when she is loaded with many orders from her clients. Long hours of repetitive work annoys her. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be a machine,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeung believes that one has to be very careful and attentive during the process of paper-making. The products in some way can reflect the mentality of the maker. There were times when she found the paper she made was fragile. \u201cI asked myself why I didn\u2019t enjoy it when the hobby became my career. And I found it was because my mindset changed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeung keeps reminding herself why she started making paper in the first place \u2014 it is to enjoy the process. She tries to focus better when making paper by putting her phone aside. \u201cIt\u2019s more like \u2018heart-made paper\u2019 instead of \u2018handmade paper\u2019,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cIt\u2019s more like \u2018heart-made paper\u2019 instead of \u2018handmade paper\u2019.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9448new-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Because Yeung founded her own business Somood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeung named her studio \u201cSomood\u201d because its pronunciation resembles Cantonese \u201c\u6c34\u6728\u201d (meaning \u201cwater and wood\u201d ), which are the major raw materials for making paper. She also finds that Somood is a Muslim name (Arabic writing: \u0635\u0645\u0648\u062f), which means \u201csteadfastness\u201d and \u201cfirmness\u201d. Yeung says that such coincidence perhaps explains why she falls in love with handmade paper and turns it into her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Edited by Jasper Cao<\/em><br><em>Subedited by Emilie Lui<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Because Yeung set up her own business selling wedding invitation cards made from handmade paper and holds workshops teaching people making paper with hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1803,79],"tags":[70,1419,1420],"class_list":["post-16267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-march-2020-issue","category-people","tag-environment","tag-handmade-paper","tag-paper-making"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16267"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16473,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16267\/revisions\/16473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}