Among the Four Treasures of the Study, the gold that cannot change refers to ink.
The Four Treasures of the Study are unique Chinese calligraphy and painting tools (calligraphy and painting utensils), namely pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. The name "Four Treasures of the Study" originated from the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
Historically, the objects referred to by the "Four Treasures of the Study" have changed frequently. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, the "Four Treasures of the Study" specifically referred to Zhuge's brush in Xuancheng, Anhui, Li Tinggui's ink in Huizhou, Anhui, Chengxintang paper in Huizhou, Anhui, and Longwei inkstone in Wuyuan, Huizhou, Anhui.
Since the Song Dynasty, the "Four Treasures of the Study" have specifically referred to Xuan brush (Xuancheng, Anhui), Hui ink (She County, Huizhou, Anhui), Xuan paper (Jingxian, Xuancheng, Anhui), She inkstone (She County, Huizhou, Anhui), Tao Inkstone (Zhuoni County, Gansu Province), Duan Inkstone (Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, known as Duanzhou in ancient times). After the Yuan Dynasty, Hubi (Huzhou, Zhejiang) gradually became popular, while Xuanbi gradually declined. After the reform and opening up, Xuanbi gradually regained its vitality.
The main contents of the Four Treasures of the Study
1. Paper is a great invention of China. Although there are tens of millions of paper varieties in the world, "rice paper" is still used for calligraphy and painting. A unique handmade paper, rice paper has a flexible texture, white and smooth texture, durable color and strong water absorption. It has an international reputation of "paper has a thousand-year lifespan".
2. The writing brush is a unique writing and painting tool that has very different writing styles between ancient China and Western nations. Although pencils, ballpoint pens, fountain pens, etc. are popular in the world today, writing brushes cannot be replaced.
3. Ink is the color material for writing and painting. The fine ink made by the famous ink makers Xi Chao and Xi Ting in the Tang Dynasty was appreciated by Li Yu, the later master of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the family was given the national surname "Li". From "Li Mo" he became famous all over the world. During the Song Dynasty, She County, where Li Mo was produced, was renamed Huizhou, and "Li Mo" was renamed "Hui Mo".
4. Inkstone, commonly known as inkstone, is a tool for grinding ink in Chinese writing and painting. Inkstones were popular in the Han Dynasty and widely used in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were many varieties, including Tao inkstone, Duan inkstone, She inkstone and Chengni inkstone, which are known as the "four famous inkstones". Ancient Chinese literati attached great importance to inkstones, not only keeping them with them all day long, but also using them for burials after death.