The mining history of Yantao stone mine has been nearly a thousand years, and the ownership of the mining area has changed hands many times in history. Become famous in the Tang dynasty
Liu Gongquan, a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in On Inks: "Qingzhou is the first place to store inkstones, followed by Jiangzhou, followed by the beginning, the end and Lintao." This is the earliest record of Yan Tao. The development of famous stone inkstone in Tang Dynasty ushered in a mature period. Guangdong inkstone, She Yan, Yan Tao and Chengni inkstone platform are also called the four famous inkstones in China at this time, making the Tang Dynasty a landmark era when inkstones began to dominate the world. Yan Tao, Duanyan and She Yan gradually replaced the famous inkstones made of various materials, and they are still unshakable. In the fourth year of Xining in Song Shenzong (A.D. 107 1 year), Wang Zhao was appointed commander of Qinfeng Road by Song Shenzong in the battle of Taohe River, recovering dragons for Tong Yuanjun and building Fort Gu Wei. At the request of North Korea, Wang Zhao chose Yan Tao, a local specialty, as a tribute, which was immediately appreciated by Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Lu You and Zhang Lei. The value of Yan Tao rush headlong into a herd and is extremely precious.
Su Shi wrote the poem "Shi Yanming, Taohe River, Lu Zhi": "Washing and grinding, alchemy and ironmaking. Cut and bright, firm and dense. Years old, bing yin, moved to the north and south. Returning, Huang Luzhi. "
There is a poem in Huang Tingjian's Collected Works of Mr. Huang in yu zhang: "I have heard for a long time that there is a duck's head green, so I can sharpen the dragon sword in Guixi." Don't think that literati don't know martial arts, but try to satisfy first frost Rabbit. "
There is a poem in Lu You's "Jian Nan Poetry Draft": "Jade chips come to brocade, and strange rocks come out of Lintao."
Zhang Lei's Poems on the Rice Pot: Ink with Yellow Luzhi Hui Taohe Green Stone: "The stone of Taohe River is a sword spear, and sharpening the knife can solve twelve cows in a day. One day I saw Bora Zhongzhou. Huang Ziwen has a wonderful chapter in the world. It is the only building with eight qualities. Throughout his life, pen and ink were worth thousands of dollars and made extraordinary profits. Who holds this inkstone parameter case, the wind is near cold autumn. I will not hesitate to give up my support, please add poetry and silk. Try to spit ink in the bright window, there is no such color in Zhangzhou, Duan Xi! "
In the twenty-first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1378), Zannan Xiu Jie, the tribal leader of Zibao in Zhou Tao, surrendered to the court, and Li Wenzhong, the company commander, gave Zannan Xiu Jie a hundred hereditary families from Zhou Tao. Among the original 18 tribes, there are 100 families who have been granted the right to rule the people, and some residents near Laoaoshi belong to the people, so Yantao Stone Mine also works for its exploitation and manufacture of tributes. In the early years of Zheng De in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Xiu, the toast, was transferred to Beijing to meet him and was given the surname of Yang Minghong. From then on, it was Yang Tusi who was called Zhuoni Tusi, and people in all areas of Zhuoni belonged to the Yang family. Since then, the stone has been called "Yang".
Knowing the preciousness of inkstone, the Yang Tusi of past dynasties began to strictly manage the mining area, stipulating that all quarrymen must take the official letter of the Tusi yamen (equivalent to today's letter of introduction) as the license, notify the old Aoshiji manager of Naier Village, and then the manager will inform the quarrymen of Dawo Village to quarry. Never allow others to mine without a license. Dawo villagers not only undertake the task of quarrying, but also have the responsibility of monitoring and protecting the grottoes, and often assign special personnel to guard them. "But as soon as they hear the sound of stealing stones, they will correct the villagers and stop them. They are not accommodating at all."
In order to strengthen the management and protection of the mining area and prevent local villagers and outsiders from illegally quarrying, Tusi and local leaders not only adopted strict administrative measures, but also spread feudal superstitions through religious institutions such as temples and bound the people. They chiseled a huge stone tablet of Lama on the rock beside the cave gate. The stone buyer must present a sheep to the Lama before quarrying, and pray and sacrifice in front of the monument before entering the cave for quarrying. Otherwise, it is said that not only good stones can't be mined, but also misfortune will happen and the local area will suffer from hail. No one dares to test these superstitious ideas rashly, and the people are convinced. Not only do they dare not violate the slightest, but they also strictly control outsiders and are not allowed to act without authorization, which is against the gods. This measure of Tusi adapted to the social system of integrating politics with religion at that time. Although it is deceptive, it is a feasible management method. During this period, the phenomenon of indiscriminate excavation and mining in Yan Tao was controlled.
At the same time, the production and trade of Yan Tao inkstone platform also ushered in an unprecedented grand occasion. There are many sculptors and trade contacts in Zhou Tao, Zhuoni, Zhou Min (now Minxian), Didao (now Lintao), Changgong (now Longxi), Hezhou (now Linxia) and Lanzhou. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, an agricultural cooperative was established here. With the change of ownership of the means of production, the Yan Tao mining area was collectively owned by the agricultural cooperative. Stones have also been sold by collectives. As a sideline income of collectives, the management of mining areas has gradually stabilized and the chaotic situation has been reversed. At the beginning of 1958, the project of "diverting pottery up the mountain" was started, and all day long, artillery fire continued, and earth and stone fell everywhere. Most hillside villages along the engineering canal are buried by earth and stone, and no one cares about Yan Taoshi's life and death. Lama Cliff was also impressed by the momentum of "letting the mountain bow and the river make way" at that time, which made people behead and show their heads to the public, and even the monument of "Lama Ye", which has always been worshipped by people, was blown away. The original quarry was buried by gravel quicksand. For nearly two and a half years, people were intoxicated by the frenzied atmosphere at that time and forgot about Yan Tao. On the other hand, it was blocked by the artillery fire of Taohe project, cutting off the circulation channels. Therefore, Yan Taoshi's excavation and carving were almost interrupted.
At the beginning of 1960, faced with serious natural disasters, the Taodiversion project was forced to dismount halfway. When people wake up from fanaticism, they are faced with the threat and challenge of survival. The desire for survival drives people in inkstone township to embark on a more dangerous and rugged road than before on the dizzying Lama Cliff. In the quicksand and rolling stones on the half cliff, several cracks that can only make people crawl have been chiseled. In these humble caves, a rare treasure, Yan Taoshi, was re-adopted.
The difficulty of collecting stones in Yan Tao forced Yan Tao's career to falter in the next few decades. During this period, a group of sculptors who loved Yan Tao emerged and made outstanding contributions to the inheritance and development of Yan Tao. However, because the stones around Lama Cliff and Shuiquan Bay can no longer be obtained by manpower, many inferior stones outside Lama Cliff and Shuiquan Bay have flooded into the market, which has had a great impact on the development of Yan Tao.
In 20 10, the state officially recovered the inferior stone minerals of Yan Tao-Hetao Township and Xijiang River in Min County, as well as the only top stone minerals of Yan Tao-Lama Cliff and Shuiquanwan in Zhuoni, and stopped mining Minxian stone through public bidding and auction to curb the circulation of inferior stone materials in Yan Tao and scientifically mine the top stone materials of Lama Cliff in Zhuoni.
With the establishment of Huaxia Civilization Innovation Zone in Gansu, the quality of Yan Tao has been mentioned many times.
In 20 10, Bandung Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd. founded the brand of "Laokeng Yan Tao", and with the guidance and support of the local government, started the brand operation of Yan Tao cultural industry.
The "Laokeng Yan Tao" project is listed as a national key cultural development project. Yan Tao and Dunhuang are the two most representative business cards in Gansu. The series of Dunhuang Bodhisattva inkstones created by Yan Tao sculptors in Laokeng was presented to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and the rebound inkstones were presented to former Japanese Prime Minister Noboru takeshita.