A small factory in southern Thimphu where artisans make traditional Bhutanese paper by hand from Daphne bark. The production process is visible to visitors — bark is boiled, beaten, and spread in frames to dry in sheets. The workshop sells finished paper products: notebooks, greeting cards, lampshades, and large sheets of the distinctive textured paper. It's a good place to buy something genuinely made in Bhutan rather than imported from Nepal. The factory is a 15-minute walk or short drive from the town centre.
Jungshi Handmade Paper Factory
Factory making traditional Bhutanese paper from Daphne bark
A story
Bhutanese handmade paper — called Dzo-sho — has been produced for centuries using the bark of the Daphne plant, which grows wild in the hills. The paper is unusually durable and insect-resistant, which is why the Bhutanese used it for all official documents and religious texts for hundreds of years. The Jungshi factory is one of the few places still making it by hand using traditional methods.