Hanji, the traditional paper of Korea, shows how patient work can turn a simple plant into a material of lasting beauty. First, hanji is made mainly from the paper mulberry tree, together with a second plant called hwangchokgyu. Second, producing it requires many careful steps. Papermakers cut the mulberry, steam and boil it, dry and peel it, and boil it once more. They then beat it, mix it evenly, scoop it up in thin sheets, and dry the sheets. People in the past even called hanji "hundred paper," explaining that it was handled ninety-nine times before its user touched it for the hundredth time. Third, Korean paper won praise abroad early on. As early as the Goryeo period, people in China called the finest paper "Goryeo paper," and a writer from Song China praised it as white, glossy, and lovely. In short, hanji is a humble tree transformed by skilled hands into something that people have treasured for centuries.