The inkstone made of Sizhou stone has the characteristics of "rough jade, golden light inside, breathing and grinding ink, odorless cloud dew, smooth ink, enhanced calligraphy and painting, and three-dimensional relief". The words written are full of Okanagan valley, and the paintings drawn are bright and three-dimensional.
It takes more than 20 days for an inkstone to go through 30 processes from embryo beating to inkstone making. Its knocking, cutting, carving and engraving all depend on the efforts of both hands. The process is more difficult than before, and it will be destroyed if you are not careful.
According to the size, texture and shape of each stone, Zhou Yongping designed different carving schemes and carved different modeling patterns.
"Making inkstone, we have five generations. The first generation is Zhou Qilian, the second generation is Zhou Shangfan, the third generation is Zhou Jinding and the fourth generation is Zhou Shunan. It's the fifth generation since I came here. I will pass on this skill. " Zhou Yongping said.
Cengong Sizhou inkstone was made by Nie, Wang, Chen and Thursday. With chaos and war, only Zhou Long School survived. Zhou Jinding, a representative of Zhou Long School in the late Qing Dynasty, inherited the bas-relief techniques of Zhou Long School.
In order to do a good job in inkstone, Zhou Yongping and Wang Yong jointly established Guizhou Zhoushilong Handicraft Co., Ltd., which specializes in the production, processing, sales and training of inkstone in Sizhou. The company has 7 masters and technicians, 13 apprentices. The inkstone industry drives rural youth employment and accurate poverty alleviation.