Brief Introducion of “Four Treasures of the Study”
2 min readThe“four treasures of the study”-writing brush，ink stick，ink slab and paper-are writing tools with a long cultural tradition and unique artistic style created by the ancestors of the Chinese nation.They have played an important role in recording Chinese history，popularizing various cultures，and promoting the development of Chinese caligraphic and painting art over thousands of years.
Writing Brush
The writing brush has a long history in China.In the beginning，people wrote with bamboo sticks on bamboo slips.Around the time of the Warring States Period 2 200 years ago，the ancient Chinese began to tie rabbit hair to bamboo sticks to make the first writing brushes.The brushes of the early period were crude and simple，while later ones made of a mixture of deer hair and wool are characterized by the correct stiffness and good workman ship.
Ink Stick
The pine soot ink stick is made of especially fine pine soot.After rinsing and sieving，the pine soot is mixed with cowhide glue，borneol and precious Chinese medicinal spices.The ink of such ink stick is dark and not lustrous，suitable for repairing old paintings and calligraphical works.The colored ink sticks include red，yellow，blue，white and green ink sticks.Beside being used for coloring of the traditional Chinese painting，it is also used for other graphics.
Xuan Paper
Writing paper for Chinese painting and calligraphy was produced inJing County，Anhui Province.During the Tang Dynasty，Jing County was under the official administration of Xuanzhou Prefecture.Jing paper had tobe transported to Xuanzhou before it was distributed elsewhere.So this paper was named xuan paper.It absorbs ink well and shows clearly the lines and strokes.It has great tensile strength，and it retains its quality a long time..Artists prefer using xuan paper mainly because their paintings and caligraphy can last many years.
Ink Slab
The ink slab is indispensable for Chinese calligraphy.It originated very early.Most ancient ink slabs unearthed by archaeologists were made in the Western Han Dynasty，when their forms were basically established.The ink slab is also called ink stone or ink tile，and is a Special Chinese cultural instrument，known as one of the“four treasures in a study”.It was considered by ancient Chinese as the first treasure of the four treasures.
