Treasures stand the test of time

The Fuzhou Road location of Z C Brush and Ink. Photos provided to Shanghai Star.

German expressionism on view in Shanghai

Narrative in oil

Putting brush to paper has been a Chinese tradition for centuries, if not millennia. Wang Ying catches up with a company that keeps this venerable art alive.

In ancient China, wenfang sibao or four treasures in the study were writing brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone. But with the evolution of writing tools, including the digitization of workflow, the once noble status of the four treasures is being challenged.

Now one company in Shanghai is selling two traditional Chinese writing tools, playing its part to make calligraphy an eternal cultural institution for the next generation.

The Z C Brush & Ink (Shanghai) Co Ltd was founded by merging the Zhouhuchen Brush Workshop and the Caosugong Chinese Ink Stick Workshop. They were set up in 1694 and 1667, respectively.

The star products of the new company include Zhouhuchen-branded writing brushes and oil painting brushes, as well as Chinese ink and ink sticks under the Caosugong brand. The company produces up to 1,000 types of Chinese writing brushes and painting brushes, as well as hundreds of ink sticks and high-end oil soot inks.

The company has not only inherited the 300-year traditional craftsmanship from Zhouhuchen and Caosugong, but also won the prestige of the two brands.

Currently, Zhouhuchen brush-making craft and Caosugong ink-making craft are listed under the national intangible cultural heritage protection project, which makes the company the only one undertaking two such protection projects in the industry.

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