Treasures stand the test of time

Paper is one of ancient China’s four great inventions (the other three are the compass, gunpowder, and printing), and it was first developed in China in 105 AD by a man named Cai Lun from tree bark, clothes and fish nets.

The invention of paper made writing materials easier to produce and lowered the cost of writing. Prior to its invention, bamboo slips and silks were used for writing material, which only wealthy people could afford.

Paper made in Jingxian (泾县) of Anhui province was regarded as the best xuanzhi, or paper specially used for calligraphy.

Ink stone

The ink stone is used to grind the ink stick into powder and turn it into liquid ink by mixing it with water.

The first ink stone was a grinding stone. It started to have features such as a cap or standing support and carved decorations since the Han dynasty. The production of ink stones reached its zenith in the Tang and Song dynasties (AD 618-1279) with ink stones becoming extremely intricate works of art.

Ink stones from four places in China are regarded as the best and are favored by collectors. The top four are Duan yan(端砚) from Duanxi in Guangdong province, She yan (歙砚) from Shexian in Anhui province, Taohe yan (洮河砚) from the Tao River in South Gansu province, and Chengni ceramic yan (澄泥砚).

Classical Chinese scholars often have other “treasures” including brush-holders (笔架), brush-hangers (笔挂), paperweights (镇纸), the brush-rinsing pots (笔洗), the seals (图章) and seal-ink (印泥) etc.

Contact the writer at wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn.

Cheng Sijia contributed to this story.