Treasured Memories

by Ni Yijing

In ancient China, where learning was worshipped as life's ultimate goal, no scholar could afford to be without a set of the "Four treasures of the study," namely, writing brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone.

The writing brush was top dog of the four treasures, which were named after a book written by a royal scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Unlike other ancient writing tools in Egypt and Europe, it is still being used today by people who practice calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting.

Several archeological discoveries have proved its existence before the Shang Dynasty (circa 1500BC-1000BC), and some even date its history back to the period of the legendary Yellow Emperor 5,000 years ago. A popular legend says that a famous military leader in the Qin Dynasty (221BC-207BC) named Mengtian created the standard writing brush.

The so-called "Xuan Brush" was invented in the Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD), and stroked Chinese calligraphy into its golden age. In the Tang Dynasty, it won the favor of the Emperor and was more expensive than gold. People began to pay excessive attention to the decoration of the brush, and precious stones and jade became common sights on the handle. Many great names in the history of Chinese literature were very generous in their praise of the Xuan Brush.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the production center of the writing brush moved to the south. A new type of implement known as the "Hu Brush" was created, characterized by being sharp, neat, round and tough. The "Four treasures of the study" actually refer to Hu Brush, Hui ink stick, Duan ink table and Xuan paper.

The ink stick is the unique material used in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. It was also said to originate from the time of the Yellow Emperor in the form of stone. The Qin (221BC-207BC) and Han (206BC-220AD) Dynasties were important in the development of the ink stick. At that time, ink sticks were made out of pine ash and were highly prized. Only high-ranking officials were entitled to one piece every month.

As time went on, the production techniques of ink sticks became more and more complicated, with more and more precious materials added, including pearl and jade. The famous king of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Yu, was so pleased with the Hui ink stick that he immediately appointed the craftsman his personal ink-officer.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the ink sticks were so delicate that young ladies used them to paint their eyebrows. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), many fragrant materials were added. Dong Qicang the master painter once commented: "In a hundred years, the house will not exist, but the ink stick will; in a thousand years, the ink stick will not exist, but the name will be remembered forever."

The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) saw a boom in decorative ink sticks, many of which are still preserved today.

Paper is one of the four great Chinese inventions. Although it was generally thought that paper was first made by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), recent discoveries have pushed its origin further back to the Western Han Dynasty.

A charming lady in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) named Xue Tao and a scholar named Xie in the Song Dynasty were very famous for their innovative productions. Among poets and painters, a delicate kind of paper made in Cheng Xin Tang was especially cherished and inspired many masterpieces. Yet it was in the Qing Dynasty that the famous Xuan Paper was finally produced. Xuan Paper is still popular for traditional calligraphy and painting.

The ink stone provides more space for craftsmanship and is more hard-wearing. It can be divided into many categories according to different materials, the most popular type being made from stone. Among the four famous types of ink stones, the best is Duan Yan.

Duan Yan was produced in Guangdong. An interesting legend explains the establishment of its reputation.

During the Tang Dynasty, all the scholars who had passed the local examinations were summoned to the capital to take the imperial examination. It was very cold in winter, and all the scholars were bothered by frozen ink except a young man with a home-made ink stone from a place named Duan. When the Emperor heard of this, he ordered that Duan Yan be made only for his sacred use. He even sent a special officer to supervise the production process of Duan Yan and forbade local people to make them. So Duan Yan became extremely expensive and Duan officials all tried hard to snatch some when they left the position.

When the upright Lord Bao left Duan, his ship was struck by a terrible storm. Bao said to heaven, "I have never done anything evil, what's the reason for the storm" At his words, the servant brought out a piece of Duan Yan, a farewell souvenir given by local people. Lord Bao threw the stone into the river and the storm stopped at once. A beautiful island appeared, later to be known as the Ink Stone Mountain.

As computers inevitably dominate the study of more and more Chinese families, the four traditional treasures of the Chinese gentlemen have practically vanished from use. But they will always be remembered as symbols of ancient Chinese culture.