What is the Three Gorges inkstone?

Commonly known as Xia Yan, it is mainly produced in Beibei, and is carved from Ziyun in Li Bixia section of Jialing River. The inkstone is fine in texture, gray and black in color, beautiful in shape and exquisite in carving, and has the characteristics of dissolving ink blocks and making ink not volatile. Xia inkstone is made of stone and painted in shape, which can be divided into four types: flowers and birds, landscapes, calligraphy and patterns. For hundreds of years, it has been deeply loved by literati, and it is also known as the three famous inkstones of Bashu with Jinyin inkstone and Yan Kui. During the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, it was once rated as one of the "Top Ten Famous Inkstones in China", and now its products sell well in Shanghai, Chengdu, Kunming, Wuhan and other major cities, and are exported to Japan, China, Hongkong and some countries and regions in Southeast Asia.