The four famous inkstones in China refer to the Taohe inkstone in Taozhou, Gansu, Duan inkstone in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, She inkstone in She County, Anhui, and Chengni inkstone in Xinjiang County, Shanxi. They are the four traditional Chinese inkstones. For high-quality famous inkstones, some people advocate that the Yishui inkstone made of natural high-quality alexandrite stone should be used instead of the Chengni inkstone, as well as the red silk inkstone from Qingzhou, Shandong, collectively known as the four famous inkstones. ?
Inkstone is a prestigious traditional Chinese handicraft. China's four famous inkstones refer to the Taohe inkstone in Taozhou, Gansu, Duan inkstone in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, She inkstone in She County, Anhui, and Chengni inkstone in Xinjiang County, Shanxi. They are the four traditional high-quality famous inkstones in China. Some people also advocate , the Yishui inkstone made of natural high-quality alexandrite stone was used instead of the Chengni inkstone, and the red silk inkstone from Qingzhou, Shandong Province was collectively known as the four famous inkstones.
Inkstone is an essential tool for Chinese calligraphy. The inkstone is not only a study utensil. Due to its strong nature, it has been passed down for generations and has been chosen as a collection of treasures by literati of all ages.
The materials for inkstones are rich and diverse, including Yishui inkstone alexandrite, jade stone, Taohe stone, Duan stone, She stone, Chengni stone, red silk stone, Tuoji stone and chrysanthemum stone. There are dozens of kinds including jade inkstone, jade mixed stone inkstone, tile inkstone, lacquered sand inkstone, iron inkstone, porcelain inkstone, etc.
Since the Tang Dynasty, Tao inkstones from southern Gansu, Duan inkstones from Duanxi, Guangdong, She inkstones from She County, Anhui and Chengni inkstones from Xinjiang County, Shanxi have been collectively known as the "Four Famous Inkstones".
Stone inkstones are produced in many places in China, such as red silk inkstone, purple gold stone inkstone and turtle stone inkstone in Qingzhou, Shandong, Yanzi stone inkstone in Dawenkou area, Tianheng stone inkstone and Wen stone inkstone in Jimo, Penglai Tuoji stone inkstone, Linyi Xue Nanshan stone inkstone and Xu Gong stone inkstone, Qufu Nishan stone inkstone, Sishui Lu Zhecheng mud inkstone, Henan Jiyuan Tiantan (Pangu) inkstone, Anhui Suxian Leshi inkstone, Jiangxi Xiu inkstone Water ocher inkstone;
Songhua stone inkstone from the lower reaches of Songhua River in Jilin, Jialingxia stone inkstone from Hechuan, Jiayu stone inkstone from Jiayuguan in Gansu, Helan stone inkstone from Ningxia and Qinghai, Western inkstone from Jiangshan in Zhejiang, Water flushing inkstones in Xiangxi, Hunan and so on. But since the Tang Dynasty, Duan inkstone, She inkstone, Tao inkstone, Chengni inkstone and red silk inkstone have become particularly famous. The Chengni inkstone belongs to pottery, and the other three inkstones are all stone inkstones.