Jinxingyan Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Folklore holds that the first Jinxing inkstone was made by Tao Yuanming of the Jin dynasty, and the Northern Song scholar Mi Fu also mentioned the Xingzi bluestone inkstone in his "History of Inkstones" (Yanshi). During the Ming dynasty, inkstone making in Xingzi declined for a time, but recovered and prospered again by the mid-Qing. In the Republican era, over a hundred inkstone workshops operated within Xingzi County, and the Jinxing inkstones they produced were exhibited and won awards at international exhibitions on two occasions. From the 1980s to the 1990s, Jinxing inkstones frequently won awards at national exhibitions and competitions, and their products were exported to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and countries in Europe and the Americas. In the late 1990s, the reform of state-owned enterprises transferred the trade to the private sector, and today nearly a hundred private firms and individual workshops make inkstones in Xingzi County.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Jinxing inkstone, also known as the Jinxing Song inkstone, uses Jinxing stone as its raw material, and its main production area lies at the foot of Tuoling Mountain in Hengtang Town, Xingzi County, Jiangxi Province. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, two specialized inkstone factories were successively established; they updated designs and reformed the craft, enabling the rapid development of Jinxing inkstone production. The Jinxing inkstone uses Song stone quarried at Tuoling in Xingzi County. This stone is rare and precious, with a tough yet fine and delicate texture, warm and lustrous, and dense, intricate veins; its color and grain possess natural beauty. Once shaped into an inkstone it produces ink very quickly, retains water without drying, yields no powder even after long grinding, and gives an ink rich in luster. From raw extraction to finished product, Jinxing inkstone making comprises five process steps: quarrying, material selection, blank shaping, carving, and polishing. The supply of material for Jinxing inkstones has always been confined to the single site of Tuoling: Song stone is rare and precious, and once quarrying was unrestricted, good material could no longer be selected — this was also the starting point of the craft's damaged reputation since the 1990s. From the Tao Yuanming inkstone handed down since the Jin dynasty to the Xingzi bluestone inkstone recorded in Mi Fu's "History of Inkstones" of the Northern Song, this thread shows that the use of Jinxing stone predates the extant name of the inkstone. In the Republican era, Xingzi County had over a hundred inkstone workshops, turning inkstone making into a local industry; exchanges with markets in Japan, South Korea, and Europe and the Americas in turn raised the demands on the stone material. Among the five process steps, material selection and polishing most distinguish a craftsman: after quarrying and selection come blank shaping and carving, and finally polishing; only when it grinds to produce ink very quickly, retains water without drying, and yields no powder after long grinding is the inkstone considered complete. After the founding of the PRC, the two specialized inkstone factories that were successively established updated styles and reformed the craft, causing Jinxing inkstone output to expand rapidly for a time. With the restructuring of state-owned enterprises in the late 1990s, inkstone making in Xingzi County passed to nearly a hundred private firms and individual workshops; the bearers of the tradition changed, yet the sequence of process steps remained those same five.
Quarrying the Song stone
The stone comes from below Tuoling hill in Hengtang; the vein is limited and over-quarrying cuts off the good material.
Sorting the blanks
Blanks are chosen for hardness, fineness and close grain; the natural beauty of colour and figure is decided here and cannot be altered later.
Rough-shaping the blank
The blank is shaped to a design drawn from local produce, landscape and legend, in a plain, free style.
Carving
Carving draws motifs and forms on the blank with clean, spare cuts; over-detailed work loses the plain intent of Song-dynasty inkstones.
Grinding and polishing
Polishing continues until the stone takes ink fast, holds water and grinds to no powder; this is the slowest stage and the one behind the awards of the 1980s and 90s.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The shapes and decorative motifs of traditional Jinxing inkstones are deeply local in character because they draw on local products, landscapes, and folklore; their style is archaic and unpretentious, sketch-like and freehand, making them a treasure of Chinese folk art. The Jinxing inkstone's production area is concentrated at the foot of Tuoling Mountain in Hengtang Town, Xingzi County. In the Republican era over a hundred workshops coexisted; after the Reform and Opening-up, specialized factories, private firms, and individual workshops took over in turn, creating a situation in which the county produced and sold for itself while also trading beyond its borders. In recent years, three pressures have converged at once — over-exploitation of quarries, neglect of craft skills, and the passing off of inferior inkstones as genuine — eroding the traditional advantage of the place of origin. Revival must begin by safeguarding both the stone source and the master–apprentice line of transmission.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In recent years, because of over-exploitation of Jinxing (Song) stone, the neglect of practitioners' skills, and the passing off of inferior inkstones as genuine, the reputation of the traditional craft has been damaged and its transmission and development seriously affected; support and protection from the relevant authorities are urgently needed.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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