The northern Thai city’s heritage of natural handmade paper products thrives through humble local businesses like Paper Piper, discovers Karen Ho
WHETHER weekday or weekend, day or night, the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand, sway lightly to a languid tempo, luring tourists with a rhythm that can be followed by anyone from anywhere in the world.
Strolling, shopping, sightseeing and savouring are the easy movements that make up the routine upon arriving here. Unlike the crowded, traffic-choked, concrete sprawl that makes up city life in the big capital, the “Rose of the North”, as Chiang Mai is fondly known, radiates simple beauty and calm that probably emanates from its elegant Buddhist temples and picturesque mountains, hills and forests.
At street level, scooters, tuk tuks and songthaews (red pickup trucks that serve as shared taxis) roam leisurely and as casually as the sun-kissed foreigners, dressed in their summery outfits and ethnic prints, in search of an authentic local experience. The promise of fresh sweet mangoes, therapeutic massages, aromatic dishes and scenic tours are so enticing that within hours of checking into my room, I have already succumbed to three of those aforementioned temptations, without even venturing more than five minutes away from the hotel.
I know that more temptations would come my way over the next few days, posing some difficult dilemmas. Green curry or red curry? The blue silk shawl or the red one? The full body massage or just half body? Oh, what stress.
HAPPY DISCOVERY
It’s barely 8.30pm but dinner is done and the front shutters of a little eatery screech briefly to a close behind us, much earlier than other dining venues. Stomachs happily filled and legs in the mood for a wander, my best friend and I join the light stream of tourists on Loi Kroh Road, a well-known thoroughfare lined with a good variety of attractions, shops and vendors, all plying wares that range from wholesome, unwholesome and somewhere in between.
A cluster of titillating nightspots like the Friendly Corner are eye-catching, as is the row of foreigners lounging near the pavement, feet propped up, enjoying the soothing hands of their masseuse.
Nestled along this stretch among the eateries, convenience stores and street vendors, is a store with an inviting warm glow radiating from the front. We’re instantly drawn to enter, captivated by the myriad of interesting knick-knacks and souvenirs that beckon to be touched and admired. Like moth to flame, I’m mesmerised by the attractive paper lanterns, colourful hanging mobiles and strings of pretty little lights that adorn the entire ceiling of the store in different hues and various shapes.
Racks and shelves are filled with beautiful handmade stationary, photo frames and albums, notebooks, fans, umbrellas, gift bags, artificial flowers, all crafted from natural saa paper, the term that locals use for mulberry paper.
PHOTOGRAPHY TO PAPER
“Chiang Mai is a quiet town,” remarks the mild-mannered proprietor, Jack Chaichao, from behind the payment counter as we chat during a lull in the store. “People here don’t spend much money, the way they live is easy. They cook their own food, go to the market. Most of the money is coming from tourists so I thought I’d start with a tourist-driven business.”
Bangkok-born Jack relocated here 10 years ago with hopes of starting anew with a relatively stress-free career and lifestyle. Heeding the advice of friends to pursue his own dreams, the 51-year old took the brave plunge, quitting a fast-paced and time-consuming job as a magazine photographer in Thailand’s capital and moving north with his wife to the former capital of the Lanna Kingdom. Although the idyllic island life of Phuket had tempted him too, Chiang Mai edged ahead with the advantage of family roots and familiarity.
“When I was young, I visited my grandmother here,” he recounts in a gentle, faltering voice. “She used to take me to San Kamphaeng where the people make paper and umbrellas. It’s like a centre for handicraft, especially folk art but not so detailed. There’s a lot of material to work with, enough for me to open a gift shop.”
The town of San Kamphaeng on the city outskirts made a name for itself for its production of cotton, silk and other handicraft, and was home to some of Jack’s relatives and family friends who were skilled in paper-making using traditional techniques.
He approached them to supply him with natural handmade paper and folk art, leading to the creation of Paper Piper, a business specialising in an amazing assortment of paper products, a showcase as well of Chiang Mai’s handicraft heritage.
Mulberry trees grow abundantly in northern Thailand and are well-suited for papermaking owing to its strong fibres. If the historical accounts on the internet are to be believed, the craft dates back more than 600 years ago in the mountains of Chiang Mai, where an indigenous tribe discovered that the bark of the mulberry tree peeled off naturally when the rainy season ended, before regenerating. Thus began the initiative to craft natural paper from this sustainable tree, eventually making Chiang Mai famous for saa paper products.
This type of paper may not be perfectly smooth and blemish-free like a factory-made version, but it’s that unmistakable texture, those natural imperfections and earthy appearance that make up the hallmarks of an individually handcrafted product. Inclusions such as pulp strands, fibres, little leaves and flowers also add character, depth and uniqueness.
One of the most striking offerings in Paper Piper is the selection of natural gift paper that hangs on tall racks to form a beautiful ceiling-to-floor display. Unique sheets in various colours, designs, patterns and themes grab my attention, especially the ones made from teak tree leaves and butterfly tree leaves.
LEARNING CURVE
During his journey as an entrepreneur, there were inevitable challenges for Jack. Initially, the papermakers whom he engaged were accustomed to creating plain designs so he was compelled to come up with ideas for more interesting options and new products.
About five years ago, the tourism industry in Thailand suffered a hit that resulted in the loss of many jobs and a lack of people to work on handicrafts. Besides labour, quality also became an issue at one point after he discovered that some papermakers had taken shortcuts, which led to flawed products and in turn, this affected sales and delivery. Nowadays, he checks and packs all the merchandise himself to ensure consistent good quality.
While he takes care of retail and wholesale customers as well as design matters, his wife handles the production side of the business and selects suitable people to craft the products. “My business grows slowly but I’m still happy because it’s not hard work.”
Yet there’s always room for improvement. “My vision is to make my life easier, like maybe putting bar codes to some products so that people can work for me and I don’t have to sit here,” chuckles Jack from his seat at the back of the shop.
Despite trading in fashion and celebrity photo shoots for a more humble occupation and sedate location, this soft-spoken gentleman is quite contented with his exchange.
“I like the easy life, doing something that’s not too difficult and makes me happy. When I came to Chiang Mai, I liked the lifestyle here and the people.”
Suffice to say, it’s a feeling that I can’t help concurring with too. The laidback tune at Paper Piper blends in well with the city’s rhythm, lulling me to that place again where time is forgotten and where one can enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Paper Piper, 39 Loi Kroh Rd, Thesaban Nakhon Chiang Mai, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand