She inkstones have the most elaborate
patterns among all inkstones.
They are the most valuable item among
the “Four Treasures of the Study.”
It lasts the longest and can be passed down for generations.
My name is Zhang Nu.
I’m a She inkstone carver in She county, Huangshan.
This is my 7th year doing it.
Zhang’s family has been making inkstones for 3 generations.
His grandfather is a famous inkstone maker.
Now, he works with his mother, who taught him this craft.
My grandpa is Hu Zhenlong.
He is one of the first She inkstone carvers
after China opened up.
When Deng Xiaoping visited Japan,
he brought an inkstone as a diplomatic gift.
My grandfather carved it.
There were already inkstones since the
Shang and Zhou (1600-256 BC) dynasties.
Back then, inkstones were made of clay.
Inkstones are essential to Chinese history.
She inkstone is one of China’s 4 most famous inkstones.
Firstly, it’s very practical.
It holds the ink well when you rub an ink stick on it.
The stones are mostly black or gray in color.
Chinese artists like these cool tones.
Choose a good stone,
cut and shape it,
think about the design,
carve it,
then pack it in a box.
It can take a few days to finish carving an inkstone.
Sometimes, it takes a few months, even up to 1, 2 years.
Once you pick up the stone, you start thinking about the design.
But there are times when it takes months, or even 1, 2 years
before you get inspiration.
This stone has a really good texture.
It has patterns that look like a traditional Chinese painting.
The only problem is there is some white quartz on the stone.
But that’s how it is naturally.
So we’ll try and keep it,
and design the stone
in a way that turns its flaws into something perfect.
We can either use a standard shape to carve the inkstone,
or keep its original shape.
It’s usually a rectangle, circle, or trapezoid if we cut it.
It’s really hard if we design it based on its original shape.
The inkstone has to be both functional and pretty.
We bring out the stone’s features,
and add our own style too.
Then we carve the design onto the stone.
First, we remove the parts that are unnecessary.
Then we start to carve carefully.
An inkstone has to be practical.
It’s important to carve the ink pool properly.
Then, we polish the inkstone.
We use rough sandpaper first, then a fine one.
After we are done carving the inkstone,
we inscribe our names on those we think will become collectible
or those we really like.
Zhang’s family is famous for making inkstones.
But even they weren’t keen on him entering the family business.
We didn’t want Zhang Nu to pick up this skill.
Because it’s very tiring.
And it gets really dusty while you make it.
That’s bad for the lungs.
Especially my dad, he didn't want him to learn.
Because he’s the only grandson.
My grandfather never taught me how to carve an inkstone.
He fought in World War II.
He fell in love with a military leader’s daughter.
But they didn’t stay in touch.
It was only after he was over 60 years old,
the woman contacted him.
My grandfather found out that she already had 5 children.
All of them went to good colleges.
But his own children were just making inkstones.
So he wanted me to focus on studying
and enter university instead.
When I was little, I saw people around me making inkstones.
I would find a stone on my own and try carving it.
I wanted to try.
But when I really decided to learn how to carve it properly,
I taught myself at first.
My mother saw I was really focused,
so she taught me step by step.
My grandfather always told me that to be a great craftsman,
you need to learn more than just how to make inkstones.
He did traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy every day.
There’s no lack of inkstone makers in every generation.
But we don’t have enough people
who understand art like calligraphy and painting.
These determine a craftsman’s skill level.
They elevate the craft of making inkstones.