Learn the Chinese ink in Hu Kaiwen Ink Factory

Whether it is on a painting or a piece of carved bamboo, on a television screen or in the cinema, one classic and longstanding representation of ancient China depicts an old, bearded scholar delicately holding a black inkstick and rubbing it gently but firmly in a circular motion against and inkstone. Mixing it with a little water he continues to grind the inkstick, looking for the perfect consistency of ink with which to practice calligraphy, write his daily correspondence or perhaps paint a landscape scene of the nearby wooded mountainsides. You can learn the ink history in the factory during your China vacation deals.

Along with the brush and inkstone, the inkstick is one of the most important items of stationery in traditional Chinese culture. Linguistically the Chinese have always been keen on four word couplets, and a particularly famous example this reads ‘文房四宝’：Brush, ink, paper and inkstone.

The earliest example of Chinese ink dates back to the 12th century BC. It was not however until almost 900 years later during the Han Dynasty that solid inksticks were developed for larger scale commercial use. A method to preserve the ink in a solid, water-soluble form was invented after it was found that early natural and artificial liquid inks did not preserve well and were difficult to transport.

Partly due to the quality of natural materials available in the area and partly due to the high-grade craftsmanship of the manufactures, inksticks produced in and around Huangshan (the famous destination for China Photo Tour) are considered to be the finest in the world. They are known as Hui inksticks after the ancient district of Huizhou. Paintings or works of calligraphy made using a high-quality Hui inkstick are longer lasting and more resistant to mould or hungry moths. The inksticks themselves can be stored for up to ten years without deteriorating, and calligraphy written with Hui Ink can last for decades – even centuries – without fading.

Boardly speaking there are three types of inkstick, which fall into their categories according to the materials used to produce them: pine soot,lacquer and oil soot. The color of the ink produced by the lacquer and the oil soot ink is darker than that of pine soot ink, so therefore is used for calligraphy, while the pine soot ink is mostly reserved for painting. The lacquer-based ink also offers the artist a more soluble inkstick, and is therefore more expensive.

Visitors to Huangshan can still view traditional inkstick-making methods today at the Hu Kaiwen Ink Factory. First opened by local resident Hui Tianzhu in 1782 during the reign of Emperor Qianlogn in Qing Dynasty, the factory is the oldest continually operating inkstick factory in China, and continues to supply China’s artists with inksticks, inkstones and other tools of the trade. Many of the original factory buildings are still standing, where guests can observe the process of inkstick manufacture, including material selection, soot making, mixing, shaping, drying, polishing and decoration.

By the way, you should avoid Public China Holidays because of crowded domestic tourists.