Anhui Four Treasures of the Study

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The paper, ink-stick, writing brush and ink-slab, which are traditional Chinese writing tools, have made an outstanding contribution to the preservation of the traditional Chinese culture and promotion of the world civilization, and for this reason they are honored as the “Four Treasures of the Study”. Anhui has all the four treasures and is the homeland of the Xuan paper, the Hui ink-stick, the Xuan writing brush and the She ink-slab. With the cultural development and numerous craftsmen’s hardworking over thousands of years, the Anhui Four Treasures of the Study have developed into the artworks integrating practical and aesthetic values, whose rich cultural connotation and distinctive features of the time enable them to be an important part of the traditional Chinese culture.Combined with the four treasures, a great variety of auxiliary tools, such as brush pot, ink-stick rest, water dropper and water container sometimes in exquisite shapes, are the indispensable instruments for writing and painting, which was generally called the stationery accessory.The production of the paper, ink-stick, writing brush and ink-slab are also exhibited here. It is expected that every visitor can appreciate the originality of the ancient Chinese as well as the elegance of their craftsmanship, and understand the extensive and profound Chinese culture.