Harvesting takes places from March to May before the rainy season but when it is wet so that peeling the bark is easier. The cut is held every two or three years for the same shrub. Only the branches are cut off at maturity. The bark is then pulled and tied in bundles to dry in the sun on a rack for 3 to 5 days. So it can wait until the time it will be used.
The bark is soaked in a tank for 3 to 5 days. It is then kneaded for 1 hour in order to separate the black bark. The dark bark is eliminated as well as xylem (dead cells) in order to retain only the phloem. The bark is finally rinsed with water.
Cooking is done in pine wood ashes lye (Pinus yunnanensis) for 3 to 4 hours. Then the fibers are rinsed with water.
The fibers are crushed in a wooden mortar with a pestle; then the resulting paste is hammered on a wooden stump.
The paste is mixed in the form of balls corresponding to the desired size of the sheet.
The ball is placed in a vat to be diluted and then the pulp is poured in a paper mould.
The paper mould is a high-sided mould which bottom is made by a rigid and removable bamboo mat.
The sheet is removed from the mould by removing the bottom and then is immediately applied to a drying board.
The paper surface is polished with a stone or a cloth when the sheet is half dry.
