Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Business
Home / Business / Policies

Xuancheng and Huzhou sustain trade in calligraphy brushes

Xinhua | Updated: 2018-10-22 11:29
Share
Share - WeChat
A craftsman makes Chinese ink brushes at a workshop in Xuancheng, Anhui province, in June. The handicraft was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008. [Photo provided to China Daily]

HEFEI - Sifting through bags of goat hair to select quality ones for the production of Chinese ink brushes can be tough and boring, but this is routine work for Zhang Wennian, 50, who is an inheritor of the traditional handicraft.

He said this is the first, the toughest and the most valuable part of the Chinese ink brush making process.

"The wool must be from the neck and underarms of white goats weighing under 25 kg. Only a small amount of goat hair is eligible enough for ink brushes - not too thick, not too soft," said Zhang, who inherited his family's ink brush making business from his father in 2009.

The ink brush, ink, Chinese Xuan paper and ink slabs are four traditional writing materials of Chinese stationery. The artistry of different types of Chinese calligraphy scripts as well as painting with traditional Chinese ink strokes require a variety of brushes.

With traditional ink brush making having a history of more than 2,000 years in China, Zhang said his family workshop produces brushes made with goat hair, weasel hair and rabbit hair.

To his pride, many famous contemporary Chinese calligraphers and painters, including Liu Haisu, Wu Zuoren and Ouyang Zhongshi, were fans of the brushes made by Zhang's ink brush workshop, which is based in the city of Xuancheng, East China's Anhui province.

In the workshop, where there is a strong odor of wool and lime water, Zhang always takes charge of screening raw materials.

Xuancheng, along with Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, are known as the places that produce the finest ink brushes in the country. Their brushes have earned a reputation as a local tribute to the imperial court and of being sought after by nobles and celebrities since ancient times.

Zhang said when his father managed the workshop, it was capable of producing more than 200 varieties of brushes with an annual output of hundreds of thousands in its heyday. The products were even exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

"Nearly every household in Xikou town used to make ink brushes, but you can see few of them in the business these days. The neighbors have switched to other businesses, like running small supermarkets, farms or going to cities for migrant work," he said.

Traditional calligraphy with ink brushes has somewhat become exclusive to artists these days, and the younger generations are becoming more accustomed to e-reading and "paperless" writing, said Zhang.

The workshop now produces 100,000 ink brushes a year. And more than half of its annual revenue comes from small amounts of high-end products that are sold to artists, while school students are the main force of beginners learning calligraphy with cheap ink brushes, he said.

Owing to the falling demand, the supply of raw materials has fallen sharply, with Zhang finding it harder every year to purchase animal hair for his brushes.

However, Zhang is far from becoming pessimistic, as he has an insight into persevering in a shrinking industry.

"With a smaller market, we are forced to pursue quality, and it is important to carry on traditional handicraft and culture," Zhang said.

Indeed, and in 2003, the local government started developing a cultural tourism initiative that invites visitors to gain on-site experience of ink brush making tours, in an effort to both protect cultural heritage and boost the economy.

The traditional brush making technique was inscribed into China's "National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage" in 2008, while Zhang's workshop was chosen as a site to exemplify the art in 2011. Then, in 2012, he was selected as a national inheritor of the handicraft.

Zhang said he would soon get into the goat-breeding business, as it seems like a good way to secure a stable supply of quality wool.

Besides this routine work, he is also keeping records of historical documents concerning ink brush making, stories of veteran ink brush artists and his family business in the form of books, pictures and videos, so as to give tourists a more vivid and interesting cultural experience when visiting his workshop.

"The brush pen is the carrier that passes on Chinese culture. Maybe I can open a folk museum of ink brushes in the future," he said.

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
CLOSE
 
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产美女在线精品观看| 一二三四社区在线高清观看在线| 国产一级小视频| 午夜人性色福利无码视频在线观看| 亚洲视频日韩视频| 免费国产人做人视频在线观看| 国产94在线传媒麻豆免费观看| 免费毛片在线视频| 亚洲av高清一区二区三区| 三年片在线观看免费观看大全中国| 538精品视频在线观看mp4| 老司机精品久久| 欧美成人一区二区三区在线视频 | 国内最真实的XXXX人伦| 国产亚洲色婷婷久久99精品 | 精品乱码久久久久久中文字幕| 欧美a级黄色片| 女人被男人桶得好爽免费视频| 国产成人精品免费视频大全可播放的 | 免费a级试看片| 久久人人爽人人爽人人爽| 91福利视频合集| 进击的巨人第一季动漫樱花动漫 | japanese日本熟妇多毛| 国产亚洲成归v人片在线观看| 福利片免费一区二区三区| 最近中文字幕高清中文字幕电影二| 成人免费无码大片a毛片软件| 国产特级毛片aaaaaa高潮流水| 免费特级黄毛片| 久久国产亚洲欧美日韩精品| 91精品乱码一区二区三区| 精品国产av一区二区三区| 日韩欧美中文字幕出| 国产精品美女久久久m| 免费看大黄高清网站视频在线| 伊人久久久久久久久香港| 久久人人爽人人爽人人片av不| 热久久这里是精品6免费观看| 男人操女人网站| 恸哭の女教师大桥未久|