The inscriptions on Oracle bones and tortoise shells unearthed in Yin Ruins in Henan Province show that the inscriptions on Oracle bones and tortoise shells are written in vermilion charcoal ink, which proves that witches in Yin Dynasty used Zhu Mo to write characters. On the surface of stone, jade and pottery in Shang dynasty, the remains of ink book were also found.
Qin and Han Dynasties is an important period in the history of ink, and the ancient ink-making technology in China experienced great changes and entered a mature stage.
In the Han Dynasty, there appeared a Tian Zhen who was good at making ink, and at this time, the court set up officials in charge of paper, ink pens and seal mud. According to the official history of Han Dynasty, the key producing area of Han and Mo is Hanyang, Shaanxi Province, which was called "the moose" in ancient times. Every month, an official can get a big ink and a small ink. In a tomb in Fenghuang Mountain, the ancient city of Chu in Jiangling, Hubei Province, several pieces of artificial broken ink of different sizes were also found. It can be seen that the working people in our country have mastered the technology of making ink with pine smoke as early as the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty.
In the Three Kingdoms Wei Dynasty, Dan Wei (Zhong You) was famous for making ink, and was called "Zhong You ink, like lacquer". Later, people thought that Dan Wei was the inventor of ink. In the Jin Dynasty, the quality was greatly improved by using glue and ink.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, more attention was paid to ink making, and the government set up officials and factories, and the production area was also expanded from Fufeng and Yanzhou in the previous generation to Yishui and Luzhou. Zumin, the most famous ink official, is famous for his wonderful ink making. In the hands of Chao He Ting Xuan and his son, they summed up the experience of their predecessors, improved their methods, and invented tamping and glue to make the ink "rich in muscle and greasy, shiny as paint". Due to the frequent wars in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, a large number of northern Mo Gong moved southward, and the ink-making center also moved. Since then, Huimo has dominated the world and occupied a leading position in the ink making industry.
Song Mo has greatly improved and expanded its raw material preparation, artistic processing, variety and quality. Song Taizong used Cheng Xintang paper and Li Ting silicon ink when he carved "Spring Flower Pavilion Post", calling it the supreme treasure, which was highly praised by ministers. Especially in the Song Dynasty, China's literacy was extremely prosperous, and many literati came forth in large numbers, and the competition focused on calligraphy. Therefore, ink is particularly important, and taking ink is very strict. 1977, a semi-ingot of Mao Ye solid ink was unearthed from the Southern Song Dynasty tomb in Wujin, which is as hard as jade and as bright as paint, and is extremely precious. It shows that the ink painting in the Song Dynasty has reached a perfect state, which is enough to assist the great painters and painters of past dynasties to make a name for themselves. If the names of people in the Song Dynasty can be passed down to this day, the contribution of famous ink can not be underestimated.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolia entered the Central Plains. Due to the contempt of the monarchs for literature, the ink-making industry has not developed particularly, but it can still continue the legacy of the Song Dynasty and maintain its original achievements.
The Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty were the heyday of Hui ink production, and the painting of ink patterns and the decoration of lacquer boxes reached their peak. At that time, ink molds were carved by experts, and various techniques such as line carving, relief carving and round carving were used to express various landscapes, figures, dragons and phoenixes. Patterns are usually drawn by famous painters and calligraphers, such as Ding and Goh Chok Tong in the Ming Dynasty, and some of them imitate the works of famous artists before. The pattern must be painted on bamboo paper the size of an ink mold, then printed on the ink board, and then carved by a process similar to woodcut. In order to perfectly express the different styles of artists of different schools, they have their own postures in knife cutting and seal cutting, which are vigorous, elegant, rough and delicate.
Kang Gan was a good calligrapher in Qing Dynasty. He paid great attention to ink making, so all kinds of fine ink were made by the imperial courts in previous dynasties. The famous Mohists are Cao Sugong, Wang Jinsheng, Wang Jie An and Hu Kaiwen. Cao Jiayou is famous. At that time, there was a legend that "the ink in the world pushed her, and her ink pushed Cao Shi". But only Hu Kaiwen and Cao Sugong were praised by later generations. The ink industry in Qing dynasty was very prosperous, and the quality of ink was also good. It was not until Guangxu that it began to decline.
After liberation, China's ink industry was restored. Since then, the technology of the ink industry has been continuously improved and the output has gradually increased.