In China, people who love Chinese calligraphic art should know the "Four Treasures of Study". It's an expression used to refer to the brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone.
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| The writing brush can be used to draw the pictures on painted potteries(陶瓷). It is soft because it is mainly made of hair of animals. Those made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel's (鼬)tail hair are called langhao. The brushes of the best quality made in Xuancheng, a city in southeastern Anhui Province, were only supplied to emperors in the past. |
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| The ink stick is the pigment(颜料)used in writing and painting. It is produced in Huizhou, Anhui Province. It is mainly made out of pine soot(松烟) and 20 other materials. Then they are glued together and pressed into the shape of a chocolate bar and left to dry. |
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| Xuan Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. It was named after its place of origin (起源)- Xuanzhou, Anhui Province. The famous Xuan Paper appeared in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. |
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| The ink stone was already very popular in the Han Dynasty. It is used to grind(研磨)the ink stick into powder which will be mixed with water. Among the Four Ink Stone, the She ink stone from Shexian in Anhui used to be regarded as one of the most famous ink stones in China. |
