The Four Treasures of the Study Photo: FILE

It is generally believed that the term wenfang (a study room) dates back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589), as it first appeared in the “Jiang Ge Zhuan” (“Biography of Jiang Ge”) from Liangshu (Book of Liang), the official dynastic history of the Liang Dynasty (502–557), and the “Liu Qing Zhuan” (“Biography of Liu Qing”) from Beishi (History of the North), the history of a series of dynasties ruling over northern China between 386 and 618. However, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, wenfang usually referred to government departments and agencies dealing with paperwork. The earliest use of this term as a study room dates to the Three Kingdoms Period (220–280), mentioned in the writings of the Taoist philosopher Ji Kang (c. 224–263).

A wenfang was traditionally equipped with essential stationery—writing brushes, inksticks, paper and inkstones—the so-called wenfang sibao, or the Four Treasures of the Study. However, inkstones were missing from the wenfang essentials until the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties (220–589). During the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), a book named Wenfang Sipu introduced the four together for the first time. The term wenfang sibao appears to originate from a poem by the Northern Song poet Mei Yaochen. This poem reveals that Anhui Province had been known for producing the high-quality four treasures since the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), wenfang sibao was frequently used in huaben (novella by story-tellers), indicating that the term was widespread in common speech at the time.

For Chinese literati, a study room, together with the four treasures, was not only a place for cultural work, but also for temporarily separating oneself from the bustle of the world and immersing oneself in a serene, private moment.

Writing brush

There have been many differing accounts describing the origins of the writing brush. A painted pottery vessel from the Majiayao Culture dating back 5,700 years offers clues as to the origin of the writing brush. A closer look at the beautiful whirlpool patterns on the vessel suggests that the flowing curvilinear strokes could only be drawn by tools resembling a brush. In China, the brush has been a predominant writing tool for thousands of years, influenced by significant continuous innovations. In order to find suitable materials for the brush, the ancient Chinese have tried almost every type of animal hair available, as well as plant fibers. Legends tell of how Meng Tian, a famous general of the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE), invented the Qin brush, the inner core of which was made elaborately from deer hair and the outer layer from goat hair (a standard Chinese brush has two layers: an inner core of shorter hairs forms the belly of the brush, and an outer layer of longer hairs makes the tip of the brush), with its handle carved from dry wood. This suggests that the Chinese knew how to make a brush with a combination of two types of hairs since before the Jin Dynasty (266–420). With absorbent, supple hair and a firm handle, the Chinese brush is particularly suitable for calligraphy, which requires many subtle movements of the brush tip.

Inkstick

It is very difficult to determine when a recognizable Chinese inkstick was first employed, as natural pigments have been in use since a very early time. However, archeological evidence traces the history of Chinese artificial solid ink back to the Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE–8 CE), such as solid ink excavated from a tomb built in the year 167 BCE. These pieces of solid ink resemble melon seeds in appearance, about 1.5 cm in length and 1.1 cm in width, thus earning themselves the nickname “ink pills.” These ancient people might have produced ink by grinding an ink pill on a stone slab with a pestle. Inksticks were developed during the Eastern Han Dynasty, evidenced by one unearthed from Guyuan County in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 1974, with a diameter of 3 cm and a length of 6.2 cm. Furthermore, records show that the Eastern Han court officials were given a ration of two inksticks a month.

China has a long history of ink making, featuring complicated processes. The famous work Mengxi Bitan (Brush Talks from Dream Brook) by the Northern Song polymath Shen Kuo contains the first reference to petroleum and how to produce ink from the soot of burnt petroleum. Another member of the literati who played a significant role in Chinese ink-making was Su Shi (1037–1101), known for starting the literati’s tradition of making ink themselves. When Su was banished to Danzhou on Hainan Island, he found that the local people seldom read, and there was no ink in Danzhou. Su then produced 500 inksticks in Hainan. A man named Pan Heng followed Su to Hainan Island from Jinhua (in present-day Zhejiang Province). Under Su’s instruction, Pan produced inksticks of higher quality than he had made before with the same materials. In order to commemorate Su’s efforts, Pan stamped these inksticks with words identifying that they were made from pine soot following the method that Su Shi invented in Hainan.

Paper

The traditional process of making xuan paper by hand is extremely time-consuming and demanding. Based on a study of the xuan paper made in Jingxian County (ancient Xuan Prefecture) in Anhui Province, the entire process roughly consisted of several steps—pulverize into two separate pulps the bark of the blue sandalwood tree and the same with Shatian rice straw; after mixing the two pulps together, drain a diluted mix of fibers through a special strainer and then dry them into a thin matted sheet; after the fibers harden into paper, cut it into different sizes.

The raw materials for papermaking in ancient China were obtained from 18 types of plants, such as jute during the Han and Tang dynasties, bark during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and cotton and bamboo during the Ming and Qing dynasties. An essential ingredient for traditional papermaking is known as zhiyao (literally, paper medicine, a type of viscous additive). There have been approximately 15 types of zhiyao employed throughout the history of papermaking, all derived from various plants, from which a type of viscous liquid (to keep the fibers and other substances suspended evenly in paper pulp in the process of papermaking) could be extracted.

Inkstone

Chinese inkstones are roughly divided into those made from natural stone and those made from other materials, including ceramic, porcelain, glass, crystal, wood, bamboo and Chinese lacquer (the juice of the Chinese lacquer tree). According to a survey in 2012, there have existed 213 types of inkstones in China, most of which, however, only exist today in historical texts.

Here is a brief introduction of several famous types of inkstones still existing today. Produced in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province, the Duan inkstone is one of the four most famous inkstones in China, featuring a purple color, various natural markings and the “eye.” Their markings vary according to the raw materials, ranging from speckles, flecks or embedded waves to crazier patterns. The “eye,” known as shiyan (literally “stone eye”), refers to a rare eye-like mineral concretion containing iron that is naturally formed in stone. The raw materials of She inkstones are mostly obtained from Wuyuan in Jiangxi Province. A She inkstone is mostly black or dark green, naturally sprayed with sparkling markings that resemble eyebrows, stars and other forms. The Hongsi inkstone (red silk inkstone) is mainly produced in Qingzhou and Linqu, Shandong Province, highly regarded for its distinctive patterns reminiscent of red silk due to its special raw material, the hongsi shi (red silk stone). The Songhua inkstone is made from Songhua stone from the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China. The Songhua inkstone was especially prized during the Qing Dynasty, and usually reserved for royalty.

The article was edited and translated from Guangming Daily. Fang Xiaoyang is a professor from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(Edited and translated by REN GUANHONG)