Inkstone Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The Tanzhe purple stone is produced at Ma'an Mountain in western Beijing; it formed in the strata of the Hongmiaoling of the Permian period two hundred million years ago, and belongs to an andalusite ferruginous argillaceous slate. Because it contains much iron, it appears purple, and it is a mineral resource unique to Mentougou District. Its characteristics are: select good blank material, shape the exterior well, keep the thickness even, and round every corner, stressing decorative beauty, mostly in Ming-dynasty styles. The Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone carving technique has been transmitted from the Ming dynasty to the present and has a history of more than 600 years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone is an inkstone made using Tanzhe purple stone; its making technique is concentrated in Mentougou District of Beijing Municipality. Mentougou District lies to the southwest of central Beijing and belongs to the Taihang Mountains, with abundant mineral resources. This stone material is dense and solid, crystalline, warm, and smooth, suited to carving; breathing on it forms clouds, and it is especially fine for making inkstones. The Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone is mainly produced through the steps of quarrying, material preparation, blank forming, carving, polishing, and box fitting, requiring a variety of carving techniques such as chiseling, punching, shoveling, planing, hollowing, engraving, cutting, scraping, drilling, pricking, filing, and grinding. The technique upholds the carving methods of Ming and Qing ancient inkstones, with fine, meticulous carving, presenting the craft characteristics of refinement, elegance, complexity, delicacy, and weightiness. It stresses making according to patterns, composing according to the stone, and applying craft according to the material; the lines are clear, bright, and fluent; the decoration borrows from antiquity while opening toward the present, readily intelligible, highlighting a courtly cultural flavor; the ornamentation is rich and varied, the carving exquisite and skillful; it records events and expresses feeling, balancing substance and literary quality to just the right degree, and is quite full of aesthetic meaning. The finished purple-stone inkstone is a traditional handicraft with both aesthetic and practical functions, and its main forms fall into two categories. One is the 'ruled inkstone' (guiju yan), characterized by square and round shapes; in making it one must read the drawings, clarify the dimensions, and carry out golden-ratio division. The other is the 'fancy inkstone' (huashi yan), which requires bold conception, reasonable layout, careful material selection, and repeated deliberation. The Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone carving technique is a traditional sculptural craft unique to the Beijing area; originating from the court, with unique inkstone material, exquisite design, superb skill, and meticulous workmanship, it is one of the representatives of traditional inkstone making and carving technique.
Archival Process Records
The Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone is mainly produced through the steps of quarrying, material preparation, blank forming, carving, polishing, and box fitting, requiring a variety of carving techniques such as chiseling, punching, shoveling, planing, hollowing, engraving, cutting, scraping, drilling, pricking, filing, and grinding.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone comes only from the area around Ma'an Mountain in western Beijing; the stone is taken from the Permian Hongmiaoling strata and is an iron-bearing andalusite ferruginous argillaceous slate that appears purple because of its high iron content. The six steps are quarrying, material preparation, blank forming, carving, polishing, and box fitting, using more than ten kinds of tools—chisel, punch, shovel, plane, hollow, engrave, cut, scrape, drill, prick, file, and grind—with every corner rounded and the thickness kept even. The forms divide into two paths: the ruled inkstone follows the drawings, using square and round shapes with golden-ratio division; the fancy inkstone relies entirely on the artisan's ingenuity for layout. Handed down from the Ming dynasty for six hundred years, its lineage is recorded to the fourth generation.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, the inkstone craftsmen engaged in inheriting the Tanzhe purple-stone inkstone carving technique are basically distributed in the Mentougou area, and the clearly documented lineage of transmission has reached the fourth generation. Through such diverse forms as master-to-apprentice teaching, entering communities, and entering campuses, the inheritors transmit and promote this traditional national culture; there is now one municipal-level representative inheritor and two district-level representative inheritors, and combining the old, middle-aged, and young, they currently teach twenty-five apprentices. The inheritors have not only established studios but also for consecutive years entered communities to hold lectures and opened courses in more than ten schools, actively advancing the work of transmitting and disseminating the technique. The inheritance and development of this technique enriches the content of Chinese art history, embodies the Chinese people's positive pursuit of a better life and the craftsmanship spirit of constant refinement, and possesses high historical, cultural, and artistic value.
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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