Inkstone Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Taoyan (Tao inkstone) making was founded in the Tang dynasty, flourished in the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and has a history of more than 1,300 years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Gansu Tao inkstone, i.e. the Tao River green-stone inkstone, is one of China's famous inkstones. The Tao inkstone is elegant in green form, hard yet fine in quality, lustrous as jade; it produces ink quickly without harming the brush, and stores ink long without drying—long renowned at home and abroad, it is a treasure among the Four Treasures of the Study. The Tao ore belt is surrounded by water on three sides; the inkstone stone is nourished year-round by moist air, so its texture is hard, smooth, and fine, with dark-green streaks within the pale green, forming myriad natural patterns such as flowing water, rosy clouds, clear ripples, and mist. Made into an inkstone, because the stone is moist it can be made to 'bead at a breath'; ink comes down quickly and finely, the ink glows as it is produced, and ink stored in the stone does not dry or spoil for a month. Tao inkstone forms are mainly divided into two types: regular/rectangular inkstones and natural-form inkstones; the inkstone body is composed of three parts—the ink pool, the water pool, and the inkstone cover; by style it is divided into single-slab and double-slab inkstones. The inkstone face is often decorated with patterns and inscriptions; the most representative traditional patterns are dragons and phoenixes and primitive religious vessels. The Tao inkstone is handmade; the production process roughly includes a dozen or so steps such as material selection, blank making, hollowing, fine carving, and polishing. Carving is mainly openwork and relief, supplemented by line carving, round carving, and other techniques; the patterns and forms are antique and elegant, beautiful and graceful.
Documented Process Record
The Tao inkstone is handmade; the production process roughly includes a dozen or so steps such as material selection, blank making, hollowing, fine carving, and polishing.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Tao River green stone is produced in the canyon area of Lama Cliff at the junction of Zhuoni County, Lintan County, and Min County along the middle reaches of the Tao River in southern Gansu. The Tao inkstone has rich cultural connotations and a strong local character, with very high artistic and collector's value.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In recent years, due to shrinking natural resources, slow economic development in remote areas, and other reasons, the Tao inkstone making craft faces developmental difficulties and needs attention from relevant departments and concrete protective measures. Li Maodi (per official inheritor archive records): male, Han, born in November 1942, a native of Zhuoni County, Gansu Province. Representative inheritor of the inkstone-making craft (Taoyan making craft), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project of the third batch. Inkstone-making craftsman. Through continuous study, inspecting famous inkstones such as the Duan inkstone and She inkstone, and constantly exchanging with master craftsmen, he introduced the making techniques of the Duan and She inkstones into Tao inkstone processing, making the Tao inkstone craft more perfect—developing from the previous ordinary practical small inkstones into modern hollowed, suspended, and high-relief Tao inkstones that combine practical and ornamental value as perfect, economical inkstones. His main technical characteristics are delicate knife work and a perfect inkstone body, and he excels at hollowed dragon-phoenix inkstones. Representative works include the 'Nine-Nine Returning to One' inkstone, the 'Oriental Awakening Lion' inkstone, the 'Great Unity of the Chinese Nation' inkstone, the 'Phoenix Crying in the Nine Provinces' inkstone, and the 'Dream of the Red Chamber' inkstone.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zou Hongli 03-1394
- Lin Yongmao 03-1395
- Li Maodi 03-1396
- Yan Senlin 04-1895
- Lusuozhong 05-2828
- Lin Tao
- Lai Jianhua
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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