China · Materials Craft / Calligraphy Supply
徽墨制作 (Huī Mò Zhìzuò)
Huimò (徽墨) — Huizhou ink stick — is one of the Four Treasures of the Chinese Scholar's Studio (文房四宝 wénfáng sìbǎo), produced in Shexian County, Anhui, for over 1,000 years. The making process begins with collecting and grading pine or oil-lamp soot by particle size, blending the soot with animal-hide glue and aromatic additives (musk, camphor, borneol), kneading the mixture under heat until it reaches the correct consistency, pressing into carved molds, and drying slowly over several months. The procedural knowledge centers on soot particle grading — different grades produce ink of different blackness, sheen, and brush flow — and on the kneading process, where the correct blend of glue strength and soot saturation is assessed entirely through hand feel. A correctly made ink stick produces ink of bluish-black tone that does not feather on xuan paper and dries to a slight sheen.
Risk level: Endangered · China National ICH List (2006)
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