1, bone cone pen
Made of animal bones, non-porous spicules and perforated spicules are often found in prehistoric archaeological excavations in China. In addition to piercing and mending, they are also used as tools to depict characters, and many symbols of Neolithic pottery are portrayed with this pen.
2. Knife and pen
Made of bronze and other metals, it appeared in Shang Dynasty at the latest and was mainly used to carve Oracle Bone Inscriptions. The Zhou dynasty called it "cut", which shows that there were already workers who made "cut" in the Zhou dynasty.
3. Bamboo pen
It is made of bamboo poles, one end of which is sharpened and painted. The history books say that "in ancient times, there was no pen and ink, and bamboo slips were drawn with bamboo sticks". Bamboo slips and silks in the Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Zhong Dingwen in Shang and Zhou Dynasties all used this pen to write directly, or to write samples first and then describe them.
4. Wooden pen
It is made of wood and used to write dark colors. 1906, the British found three wooden pens in two sites in Xinjiang. These pens are made of red wicker, with bare tips and ink on them.
5, pencil
Made of graphite powder and rubber strip, directly used for writing. History books are called "lead slips". In the writing of Dunhuang suicide notes from the Six Dynasties to the Northern Song Dynasty, a common boundary was drawn with a pencil, which was called "Wu Si Lan".
6. Reed pen
Cut with a reed pipe, with a horse-ear-shaped pen tongue. The book of songs, which was anonymous in the pre-Qin period, said: "I am a quiet girl, and I am a tube." Tongguan is the earliest reed pen. 1906, the British also found three double-petalled reed pens at the Milan site in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang.