China's four famous inkstones and their origins are: Taohe inkstone in Taozhou, Gansu, Duanyan in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, Sheyan in Shexian, Anhui, and Chengni inkstone in Xinjiang, Shanxi.
1. Taohe inkstone, named after Taohe River for short, is an inkstone with a long history. It was famous all over the country in the Song Dynasty, and it was as famous as Guangdong Duanyan, Anhui Sheyan and Shanxi Chengni inkstone. Taohe inkstone, with its fine crystal, beautiful and moving, silky stone patterns, like waves rolling and clouds surging, has been treasured by the royal families of past dynasties and favored by literati.
2. Duanyan is one of the four famous inkstones in China, which is as famous as Taoyan in Gansu, Sheyan in Anhui and Chengni inkstone in Shanxi. It was produced in Duanzhou in the early Tang Dynasty (now Duanxi in the eastern suburb of Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province), hence the name Duanyan, which has a history of more than 1,3 years. Duanyan has a long history, excellent stone quality and exquisite carving. Duanyan, Sheyan and Taoyan have always been known as the "three famous stone inkstones". Generally, the manufacture of Duan inkstone requires quarrying. Material selection, carving and box matching.
3. She inkstone, the full name of which is She inkstone, is produced in She State between Huangshan Mountain and Tianmu Mountain and Baiji Mountain in Anhui Province, including She County, Xiuning, Qimen, yi county, Wuyuan and other counties. The best place of origin of Sheshi is the Xiaxijian of Longwei Mountain (Luowen Mountain) at the junction of Wuyuan and Shexian County, so Sheyan is also called Longwei inkstone, and Longwei Mountain is the place of origin of most stone materials that have survived the world. In addition, Shexian, Xiuning and Qimen counties also produce inkstones.
4. Chengni inkstone is one of the traditional Chinese handicrafts and one of the traditional calligraphy tools. It started in Han Dynasty and flourished in Tang and Song Dynasties, and has a history of more than a thousand years. The firing process and time of Chengni inkstone are different due to the processing and firing of special cement. Some inkstones are multi-colored, especially paying attention to carving technology, and there are varieties such as relief, semi-tire, three-dimensional and through.
Chengni inkstone is made by processing and firing fine washed mud as raw materials. Therefore, Chengni inkstone is delicate in texture, just like baby's skin, and it has the characteristics of storing water without drying up, enduring cold without freezing, sending ink without losing any hair, and moisturizing and winning water, which can be compared with good stone inkstone. Therefore, predecessors have many praises. The ancient muddy inkstones seen today are extremely rare, and the top grade is hard to find.
Other inkstones in China:
Besides inkstones, China has also produced some inkstones made of other raw materials. In the Han Dynasty, there were tile inkstones, pottery inkstones, jade inkstones, iron inkstones and lacquer inkstones; in the Jin Dynasty, there were wooden inkstones, porcelain inkstones and copper inkstones; in the Tang Dynasty, there were mud inkstones; in the Song Dynasty, there were crystal inkstones, stone inkstones, brick inkstones and natural inkstones; in the Ming Dynasty, there were fossil inkstones; in the Qing Dynasty, there were paper inkstones; now there are rubber inkstones.
In addition to the use value, Chinese inkstone has high artistic appreciation value. In the Han Dynasty, the inkstone was engraved with bird and beast patterns on its side. As time goes by, the carving process becomes more and more exquisite, often an inkstone, which is a wonderful handicraft. So that some inkstones are made for viewing. Since the Tang Dynasty, Duanxi inkstone in Guangdong Province, Shexian inkstone in Anhui Province, Taoyan inkstone in southern Gansu Province and Luzhe Chengni inkstone in Shandong Province have been called "four famous inkstones" together, among which Duanyan and Sheyan are the best.