There is ink! There are more than 10,000 spindles of Mo Bao in the Palace Museum on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. In 2007, at an auction in Chinese mainland, there was a round ink of the Qing Dynasty Qianlong's "Yu Shi Mo Shang" with an ingot diameter of only 8.8 cm, and the transaction price was as high as RMB 6,543,800+0.288 million (about NT$ 6.4 million), which was scary!
How can ink be so noble and valuable? I remember the ink I used when I was a student. It is dark and unremarkable, and it has a strange smell. Nobody wants to get close to it except the calligraphy class. Only when I want to play tricks on girls or get back at teachers who like to repair people, will I think of the benefits of ink and secretly splash some ink on them.
The stereotype of ink actually comes from the cheap student ink I was exposed to at that time. Ink shops (that is, workshops that make ink) have long had the concept of market segmentation, knowing that students can't afford good ink, and they don't need good ink to practice calligraphy. Of course, the quality is poor. It smells strange. However, at least students are the future masters of the country, and they are also intellectuals. There are some inspirational words on the ink, such as "I have a plan", "Longmen" and "Gold will not be exchanged".
As for the ink sold to merchants for bookkeeping, the quality is often worse. It is made into a round rod without any decoration. At most, make a hole at one end and let a thin rope hang from the beam. It's really convenient to pull it down when grinding ink and hang it up when it's not in use. It doesn't take up the desktop and doesn't need cleaning.
It is definitely not these two kinds of inks that are heating up rapidly in the antique market now. In the history of using ink for more than 3,000 years (there are words written in ink on the unearthed cultural relics in Oracle Bone Inscriptions), the quality and form of ink have been constantly evolving, the relationship with ink users has become more and more cordial, and the words and carvings on ink have become increasingly exquisite. The use of ink, with these changes, is more colorful and increases the collection value of ink. It's just that all this is often ignored by people under the dark veil of ink!
Although almost no one uses ink now, ink played a very important role in the life of China literati before the popularity of pens, ballpoint pens, typewriters and computers. In addition to calligraphy and painting, it is also used to appreciate and play, and has the function of giving gifts and education. Some people even record their own events or travel notes on ink, so that ink can be used for memory and commemoration. In the early years of the Republic of China, when the media was not developed, memorial ink was also regarded as a propaganda tool for the minority. It is hard to imagine! The most amazing thing is that the ink has been made into medicine and has a curative effect. If it were you, would you dare to eat?
First of all, enjoy the play.
Just as it is popular for modern people to bring some dolls and ornaments, ancient people also like to get some Yu Pei and tooth carvings to play with at any time. Ink, because of its inherent intimate relationship with literati and plasticity in the production process, has also been carefully made into Wan Wen, which is very popular.
Look at this inkstone-shaped ink. About two-thirds of business cards are large. Carve lotus leaves and bamboo leaves on the front and two lotus leaves on the back. The texture of branches and leaves is clear. Small and exquisite is very pleasing. In addition, the ink body is smooth and smooth, and the hands are not dirty. No wonder Wang Cihou, a Huizhou Mohist, rightfully named it "Scholar Award" during the reign of Kangxi, and I believe that scholars will enjoy it.
Wang Cihou, as a scholar, rewarded lotus leaf-shaped inkstone ink. The words "Scholar Award" and "Wang Cihou Antique" are written on the borders on both sides. It is 7.6x4x0.8 long and weighs 28g.. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Once you start to like something, you often can't stop, and similar people always want to have it. This kind of psychology is the same at all times. Therefore, Wang Cihou's "Scholar's Award" is a set of ink and nine ingots (just like dolls played by modern people are often complete sets), so it is speculated that the artifacts imitated by each ingot are different. This kind of ink set is called "Ji Jin Ink", which originated from the production of Hui ink in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty and became popular in Qing Dynasty.
There is a collection of ink, which is very famous. It is a royal garden map (also called Ming Garden Map) made by Hu Kaiwen in Huizhou during Jiaqing period of Qing Dynasty, with 64 ingots. Each ingot is carved with buildings in royal palaces and gardens such as the Forbidden City in Beijing, Beihai, * * and Yuanmingyuan. Due to different shapes, there are guqin, Zhong Ding and bronze mirrors. The design is clear, the carving is exquisite and the materials are exquisite, which gives people a good feeling.
Second, enlightenment.
Not every ingot has a different shape. For example, Wang Jinsheng, another Huizhou Mohist, made "Yu Geng Zhi Tu Shi Mo" during the Qianlong period. Except the first ingot, the other 46 ingots are the same size. Based on Kangxi's poems about farming and textile processing, there are 23 ingots each, and they are made with corresponding pictures. For example, the theme of farming is "ploughing, transplanting, second ploughing, harvesting and debut"; And the textile theme of "silkworm moth, mulberry picking, cocoon selection, silk winding and weaving" fully demonstrated Kangxi's desire to train men and women to weave books, and also sublimated ink painting into an educational tool. Interesting!
Wang Jinsheng made the imperial system of farming and weaving poems and ink. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Since ink can be made into any shape and the carvings on it can be colorful, some people think, why not think from the perspective of gifts and expand the application market of ink?
Third, give gifts.
This move is very successful! China people have attached importance to etiquette since ancient times, and the best way to express etiquette is obviously to send a gift. If ink can be made into a timely gift, it will not be tacky and will last for a long time. As long as the price is reasonable, there must be a market.
So all kinds of gift inks appeared one after another. Among them, "birthday ink" is widely welcomed by the market. The themes on the ink are Shoutao, Antarctic Xianweng, Fulu Xi Shou and so on. There are so many changes that you don't lose the whimsy on modern birthday cakes. For example, the "Hundred philosophers" and "Phoenix Nine Chicks" ink used in weddings, as well as hand-rolled ink to congratulate students on their success in the imperial examination, are very popular. Birthday and wedding ink is often painted with gold, bright and beautiful, and the characters and words are simple, lovely and auspicious. But because it is not used for writing, the raw materials used will be worse.
Wang Jiean made Fu Lu live as long as ink. The length and width are 23×4.7×4.5 cm, and the weight is 804 grams. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Not only ordinary people, but also officials like to give gifts in ink, especially those who are officials in Huizhou. On the one hand, because the ink maker is under his jurisdiction, he can get good ink at the cost price; On the other hand, it can highlight his elegance and lofty. Again, you can sell local products by the way. Why not? The object of gift-giving is naturally mainly members of bureaucratic groups, even senior officials at the governor level, who also send ink to the emperor (called tribute ink), and its intention is self-evident. The emperor also has imperial ink made in Oita for his own use or as a reward for officials. The ink for superior officers has a characteristic: the ink surface has the official title of the other side. Rumo's "Tang Qi Fangbo Research Award", in the form of a tile, was awarded to Cheng (ornaments), who served as Anhui political envoy (commonly known as Fangbo, equivalent to vice governor) during Daoguang's reign.
Fang Bo learns ink and enjoys it. Covered with tiles, the front is inked, and the back is decorated with five bats of Xiangyun, with "Gong Yan" written on it, "100,000 pestle" printed on the bottom and "Made in Hu Kaiwen, Huizhou" written on the side. Length and width 13.7×4.2× 1.3 cm, weighing 90 grams. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Officers at higher levels should curry favor with them, and officers at the same level should not neglect them. Especially when passing through their territory and having to pay a courtesy visit, the hand-holding ceremony is absolutely indispensable! For some honest and self-disciplined officials, they can't afford to send heavy gifts. This gift is often their own poems, and then they are accompanied by their own customized ink. Make friends with words, make friends with pen and ink, and the benefits are not spent. This ink won't have the name of the recipient, but it says "someone's gift" During the Tongzhi period, Hong Jun, the champion of Suzhou (originally from Huizhou), ordered this kind of ink.
Red is covered with tiles and sprinkled with gold, and the scarlet letter "Huangshan" in the circle is written in blue. On the back, the words "Burning pine smoke like China tile is priceless, given by Hongjun" are cursive, and the words "In the winter of Tongzhi for six years, Huizhou remembers to imitate the super pine smoke of Lujiawujiao and add 100,000 pestle" are written. It is 8.5×2.6×0.8 cm long and weighs 28 grams. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Speaking of top scholar Hong Jun, even if you don't know him well, you should have heard of his concubine. Because this little wife is more famous than him, she is a famous prostitute Sai Jinhua who entered the special industry after his death. It is said that when Eight-Nation Alliance went to Beijing because of the Boxer Rebellion, Empress Dowager Cixi fled to the west, and there was no owner in the city. Fortunately, Sai Jinhua, who had been to Germany with Jun Hong, and German general Vadexi, commander-in-chief of Eight-Nation Alliance, were old friends and had a little friendship, which exerted some influence and reduced the atrocities of the allied forces.
Four. Notes and memorials
Of course, you can't be bad to yourself if you are good to others. Some people are good at reading and writing. They order ink from use and appreciation, and the quality is very good. Most of the words above are my own calligraphy, and I often briefly describe my thoughts by the way. Even though these inks are not luxuriously decorated, they show a sense of modesty, courtesy and generosity. Such as Liu Yong (Luo Guo) in the Qianlong period, Tao Shu in the Daoguang period, and the ink made by Peng Yulin (word Xueqin), a Confucian general of the Xiang army who fought against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. When studying Peng Yulin's ink, can you feel the narcissism it reveals?
Peng Yulin ink. On the front, "Qin Xue's Collection of Works" is printed, and plum blossoms are painted on the back, with the inscription "My lifelong confidant is plum blossoms". The length and width are16.2× 3.7×1.5cm, and the weight is122g. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Some people further extend their stories, socialize with friends, travel, etc. And write them on the ink. Let ink become a function of memory and even commemoration. Zhang Daqian, a China painter who is as famous as Picasso in the world painting circle, has an ingot "Return of the Sea of Clouds" which records his visit to Huangshan with his brothers and apprentices in the autumn of 20 years of the Republic of China.
Zhang Daqian's ink. On the front, it reads "The Story of the Great Sage Returning from the Sea of Clouds", and on the back, it reads "When Zhang Shuyun and his brother Daqian's nephew Xu Ming and Woods Mu Jing Shengquan visited Huangshan Mountain together, Xin Wei did not fall in September." The length, width and height are 9.7×2.4×0.85 cm, and the weight is 30 grams. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, with the trend of literati ordering ink, Mosi also opened his mind and began to cooperate with famous painters and painters, taking their creations as the theme of ink. In fact, this is a return to tradition, because in the late Ming Dynasty, Huizhou ink masters and Fang worked with painters to draw many wonderful ink samples. However, after entering the Qing Dynasty, perhaps due to the influence of the literary inquisition, ink shops tended to be conservative, and the themes of ink works were mostly limited to garden scenery, antiques and folk customs, which were out of touch with reality.
Until the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement in the late Qing Dynasty, some Mohist companies established their strongholds in Shanghai, and under the influence of the prosperous industrial and commercial environment, their ideas tended to be open. Plus * * * the influence of the governor has greatly increased, and the scruples of the ink shop have become smaller. Since then, they have cooperated with Wu Changshuo, Ren Bonian, Qian Huian and other Shanghai painters to create many ink paintings with novel themes, which are called "Shanghai Hui Ink". Look at this gold ingot of Guangxu four years (1878), which was made by Cao Sugong, the most famous ink shop in Qing Dynasty. The theme is the snail essence painted by Ren Bonian. There is a beautiful woman in the big screw, with a big pearl in one hand and a fantastic poem attached to it, which is interesting and subversive.
Ren Bonian painted screws with fine ink. On the front, he drew a fine picture of a screw. On the back, he wrote a poem, "The peach blossom face is still like a dragon, and I don't want to see Cao Sugong Yao Qian cigarette selection." The length and width are 10×2.4× 1 cm, and the weight is 38g. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
Verb (abbreviation for verb) treats diseases.
Ink also has a function beyond ordinary people's imagination, which is to treat diseases. The ancients thought that ink was an essential item for living at home, going out to take exams, visiting friends, and traveling in the mountains and water. Life was bound to have wind, frost, rain and dew, and suffering from illness, so they encouraged the ink industry to explore another function, that is, taking medicine and even making dreams come true.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were many medicinal inks on the market that claimed to be able to treat unknown swelling, nosebleeds, gastrointestinal ulcers, infantile convulsions, dizziness and other different effects. In addition to the production system in Beijing Tongrentang, Xianfeng had an "eight treasures and dragon fragrance" in Cao Sugong Moss Branch in Suzhou in the ninth year, and an "eight treasures and five gallbladder medicine ink" in Beijing Yuning Hall in Guangxu years. Bazhen eight treasures contain bezoar, agarwood, rhinoceros horn, musk, amber, pearl, borneol, gold foil and other ingredients; Five gall bladder are pig gall, bear gall, snake gall, fish gall and tiger gall. When in use, first grind the ink into juice, then apply the ink to the wound or take it with warm water.
Eight treasures and dragon fragrance, eight treasures and five gallbladder medicine ink. The left ink is 8.4x2x0.85 in length and width and weighs 52 grams. Right ink is 8.1x2x0.9cm long and weighs 54g.. (The story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Time Publishing)
From a modern point of view, some raw materials are incredible, but these medical inks really had a lot of markets in those days! It is only the main raw material of medicinal ink, which should be the smoke powder (called pine smoke) obtained after burning dried pine trees. In the above picture, the eight-treasure gallnut medicinal ink with cinnabar as the main raw material should be made by later generations with primitive ink patterns and cheap behavior. I wonder if there are really eight treasures and five bravery in it.
The darkness of ink was uncovered layer by layer. The second time emerged: ink and wash carving technology, calligraphy and painting, humanistic love, celebrity anecdotes, fantasy creativity, practical changes and so on. Especially from many literati's own ink, we can trace back to their experiences and moods at that time, which can be appreciated, regretted, associated and even inspired. Momo is silent, but it does not hinder the display of its deep connotation.
We must know that the pressure faced by ancient intellectuals is by no means lower than that of modern people. Imagine that if modern intellectuals fail in politics, they will be dismissed, and even their pensions may not be lost; But look at Lin Zexu. He was exiled to Xinjiang in the Opium War and did not lose to the British army in Guangdong. Who is worse? So at that time, ink, as a necessity for literati, naturally became one of the objects of lyric, which also created many legends of ink.
Through the story of Mo, we can get a glimpse of the elegance and romance of our predecessors. Understand their ideals and ambitions; Look at their pride and loss, just like their Millennium. Want to see the ancient ink-making, Chen Jiade, the only remaining ink-making artist in Taiwan Province Province, is still making an ingot of handmade ink with decades to hundreds of years old ink molds in Mie, New Taipei City. His ink is worthy of recognition, encouragement and treasure.
-from the story of ink and water? Series 1: Biography of Mo Ke/Times Culture Publishing Company