Hubi Brush Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
According to the Huzhou Prefecture Gazetteer of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty: "(Shanlian), also called Shanlian... its residents make brushes most excellently, ever since the monk Zhiyong (a man of the Sui dynasty, named Wang Fuji, seventh-generation descendant of Wang Xizhi) built a hermitage by Lianxi Stream and frequented Yongxin Temple, brush makers have gathered here." By the Yuan dynasty, the reputation of Hu brushes rose sharply, establishing their position as the crown of writing brushes. Hu brushes, together with Hui ink, Duan inkstones, and xuan paper, are known as the "Four Treasures of the Study."
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hu brushes are the finest among writing brushes, renowned at home and abroad for their exquisite making and superior quality. The birthplace of Hu brushes is Shanlian Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City; the brush-making industry of Shanlian began approximately in the Jin dynasty. After development through the Tang and Song dynasties, Hu brush technique made great progress. Hu brushes are made entirely by hand; the production process consists of more than 120 steps, including material selection, the water-basin process, tying the brush head, fitting the ferrule, fitting the spud (pudun), inlay work, sorting the finished brush, and character carving. The main steps are handled by dedicated artisans, with fine selection of materials, meticulous workmanship, and particular attention to the brush tip (fengying). Craftsmen uphold the standard of "refinement, purity, and beauty," producing finished Hu brushes that possess all four virtues: "sharpness, evenness, roundness, and strength." The exquisite Hu brush making technique is an important component of Hu brush culture, which has distinctive regional characteristics.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Hu brushes are made entirely by hand; the production process consists of more than 120 steps, including material selection, the water-basin process, tying the brush head, fitting the ferrule, fitting the spud (pudun), inlay work, sorting the finished brush, and character carving. The main steps are handled by dedicated artisans, with fine selection of materials and meticulous workmanship, and particular attention to the brush tip (fengying).
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The birthplace of Hu brushes is Shanlian Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City. The brush-making industry of Shanlian began approximately in the Jin dynasty. Hu brushes are made entirely by hand, and the production process consists of more than 120 steps, including material selection, the water-basin process, tying the brush head, fitting the ferrule, fitting the spud (pudun), inlay work, sorting the finished brush, and character carving. The Huzhou Shanlian Hu Brush Factory is the project's protecting institution; the technique has also spread, along with the sale of Hu brushes, through Beijing, Shanghai, and the cities and towns of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
However, the transformation of social culture, the innovation of writing tools, and the one-sided pursuit of economic interests have led to a situation in Hu brush production marked by a flood of defective products, the loss of craftsmen, and a shortage of successors; traditional Hu brush technique has suffered a major impact, and active protective measures should be taken. Qiu Changming (from the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in 1950, from Shanlian, Zhejiang. Representative inheritor of the Hu brush making craft, a first-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project, and a master of folk arts and crafts of Huzhou City. Qiu Changming entered the Shanlian Hu Brush Factory in 1966 and became a disciple of the famous veteran artisan Zheng Guanqing, specializing in the sorting of high-grade goat-hair brushes. Brush sorting and the water-basin process are the most critical and central parts of the entire Hu brush craft. He has fully inherited the traditional operating technique of sorting goat-hair brushes and has always upheld the making standard of "refinement, purity, and beauty." The technical quality of his products is very pronounced: the tip of the brush head is clearly formed, the top opening is even, there are no stray or waste hairs, the brush body is glossy, white, round, and straight, and the finished Hu brushes possess all four virtues of "sharpness, evenness, roundness, and strength." Qiu Changming actively trains young brush-sorting apprentices and, by participating in various intangible cultural heritage exhibition and performance activities, demonstrates and promotes the Hu brush making craft. In 1980, the "Double Goat" brand Hu brushes he supervised the making of won first place in the first national writing brush quality evaluation, organized by the Second Light Industry Bureau of the former Ministry of Light Industry, while the "Long-tip Su Goat-hair Scroll Brush" and the "Fine Magnolia Stamen" each won individual awards.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Qiu Changming 01-0185
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。