Not too wild, not too controlled. Semi-sized xuan paper sits quietly between the two — letting ink spread just enough to feel alive, while still giving your brush somewhere to land.
This is ban sheng shu xuan, the half-processed kind. A little alum treatment slows the ink just enough to give you room to think. If raw xuan feels too unpredictable and sized xuan feels too stiff, this is where most artists find their rhythm.
Suitable for ink painting, calligraphy, and light watercolor washes
A gentle starting point for beginners; a reliable everyday sheet for experienced artists
A little about xuan paper
Xuan paper comes in three kinds. Raw xuan (sheng xuan) is the most absorbent — ink blooms freely and follows its own path. Sized xuan (shu xuan) is treated so ink stays exactly where you place it. Semi-sized sits between them, which is why it is often the first paper artists reach for — and the one they keep coming back to.
Start with 100 sheets to find your pace, or stock up with 200 and settle in for a while. If you are curious about raw xuan, we carry that too. But if you are here, you are probably already in the right place.
Practice slowly. Every sheet is a quiet conversation between brush, ink, and paper.
