Jixi Old Hu Kaiwen Hui Ink

Jixi Old Hu Kaiwen Hui Ink

　　Jixi County Old Hu Kaiwen Ink Factory is one of the earliest manufacturers of Hui Ink. The factory upholds reputation as its top priority, guarantees quality,

　　continuously develops new products, and now offers over 280 varieties, mainly including high-end lampblack ink, ultra-top lacquer smoke ink, pine soot ink,

　　multicolored ink, medicinal treasure gold ink, scented ink, cinnabar ink, and more.

　　Hui Ink – Jixi “Hu Kaiwen” Ink

　　One of the Four Treasures of the Study in Anhui, Hui Ink is named after the ancient Huizhou Prefecture, with Jixi being its main production area. Hui Ink enjoys the reputation of "darkening the paper deeply, preserving truth for ten thousand years." It features a jet-black and glossy luster, does not bleed on paper, resists fading over time, emits a rich fragrance, prevents decay and moths, boasts an elegant shape, and is exquisitely packaged—making it an essential item for calligraphers and painters. With a long history dating back to the Southern Tang Dynasty, it flourished during the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Its raw materials are precious, craftsmanship refined, and quality superior, making it a tribute product throughout the dynasties.

　　Hu Kaiwen (1742), courtesy name Zhuchen, art name Zaifeng, was the founder of the “Hu Kaiwen” ink business and one of the Four Great Hui Ink Merchants of the Qing Dynasty. He was a native of Shangzhuang Village. In his youth, he apprenticed at Wang Qimao’s Ink Shop in Xiuning County, where he was honest, diligent, and skilled in shop management, earning the deep trust of the owner, who promoted him to a salesman. Enduring hardships while traveling to ports and trading cities, he saved money for his future venture and later married Wang Qimao’s only daughter. In the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (1765), he took over Wang Qimao’s Ink Shop. To produce high-quality products, he selected the finest old ink molds, invested heavily in premium raw materials, and hired skilled artisans to carve molds and make ink. He also took the middle two characters, “Tian Kai Wen Yuan” (Heaven Opens a Garden of Literature), from the golden plaque in the Confucian Temple of Huizhou Prefecture, prefixed them with his surname, and established the brand “Hu Kaiwen Ink Shop.” Amidst a competitive landscape full of other ink shops, he rose to the top and reaped substantial profits. Later, he set up a sales branch in Tunxi, and then opened tea houses and date farms, acquired land, and became a wealthy local figure. Known for being both a merchant and a scholar, after becoming prosperous, he donated funds to receive the lowest official rank and was granted the title of “Fengzhi Dafu.” He had eight sons; the eldest died young, and the third, sixth, and seventh sons were imperial scholars. He performed many good deeds in his hometown, personally funding the construction of the flagstone road from Guanlan Pavilion in Shangzhuang Village to Yanglin Bridge, and the pavilion halfway up Songling Mountain.

　　Since its establishment by Hu Tianzhu from Jixi in the 47th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1782 AD), “Hu Kaiwen” has a history of over 200 years. In 1910, the meticulously crafted “Cangpei Chamber” brand “Earth Ink” by the Hu family won a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The predecessor of Jixi Hu Kaiwen Hui Ink Factory was the “Original Hu Kaiwen Old Shop,” formed through the public-private partnership of various Hu Kaiwen Ink Shops and workshops in Jixi. After the merger of the County Painting and Calligraphy Lampblack Material Factory and the County Hu Kaiwen Hui Ink Factory in 1998, the factory developed an integrated system from soot refining to finished ink production. The factory includes over ten production processes such as soot refining, ink making, mold carving, ink drying, polishing, and gilding, as well as a fully equipped testing center for lampblack materials and ink ingots. Premium lampblack (the best raw material for high-end ink and ink sticks) uses tung tree (oil) and pine resin from altitudes above 600 meters, along with precious medicinal ingredients (free from chemicals, posing no harm to humans). Utilizing traditional soot refining techniques, it inherits and promotes the essence of Hu Kaiwen’s traditional “lampwick soot refining” technology, combined with the latest methods, achieving the highest historical quality of lampblack. It is also currently the country’s leading professional soot refining manufacturer. The factory owns over 8,000 sets of valuable ink molds created by renowned artists since the Ming and Qing dynasties, spanning more than 1,000 varieties. Products are registered under the trademarks “Cangpei Chamber” and “Hu Family” by the National Trademark Office. From 1983 to 1987, they won consecutive national gold awards for quality products. The Hu Family series products use strictly selected materials, are exquisitely handcrafted, and feature superb craftsmanship. Made from pure lampblack and 16 kinds of precious ingredients including natural musk, they embody outstanding traditional artistry and unique artistic styles. They are jet-black and glossy, enduring without fading, darkening the paper like lacquer, giving a lustrous sheen, improving with age, and remaining uncracked and dry. They are indispensable artisan-crafted works for painting and calligraphy. In 1998, the factory also developed pure lampblack Hu Family series products such as “Hu Family Lampblack Ink,” “Hu Kaiwen Treasure Ink,” “Hu Kaiwen Painting and Calligraphy Ink,” and “Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Ink,” elevating Hui Ink to its historical peak, with considerable value for collection, artistry, and practical use.

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　　Hu Kaiwen Memorial Hall

　　The Hu Kaiwen Memorial Hall is located by the water channel at the entrance of Shangzhuang Village. Covering an area of over 400 square meters, it was originally the ancestral home of Hu Hengde, the eldest descendant of Hu Kaiwen, and is a traditional “revolving corridor” style ancient building with extremely rich collections. The exhibition hall features six large glass display cabinets against the walls and a large glass table in the center. Displayed are replicas of various famous inks originally created by Hu Kaiwen, such as the Li Longzhu, Gu Yumi, Qianqiu Guang, Babao Medicinal Ink, Longxiang Fengwu, Confucius Portrait, Maitreya Portrait, Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers, Ma Girl, Ten Immortals, Large and Small Golden Turtles, Golden Cicada, Ink Treasure Pot, Sixty-four Scenes of the Imperial Garden, Thirty-six Peaks of Huangshan, Scenic Poems of West Lake, Cotton Diagram, and Zodiac Poem Diagrams. Also exhibited are the gold-medal-winning “Earth Ink” from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, as well as copies of certificates, medals, and photos. Additionally, the museum houses a rare, sole surviving copy in Anhui of the complete “Ink Compendium” (Mo Sou), the imperial ink recipe book of the Four Great Ink Masters of the Qing Dynasty, which has been bound in thread binding and archived in the museum.

　　The Hu Kaiwen Former Residence is situated on the eastern edge of Shangzhuang Village. It is the first residence in Jixi built using reinforced concrete materials and blends Chinese and Western architectural elements, with highly harmonious structure and decoration. Transporting cement and steel from Shanghai to this remote mountainous area solely through manual labor and animal power, before highways were built, was indeed no small feat. The residence has three bays, with the main gate facing east, adorned with brick carvings on the lintel and a plaque above. The top of the plaque is pointed, and the lower part is a hollow circle, symbolizing the zero point piercing the sky. Though the square house is somewhat dilapidated, traces of its former prosperity remain visible.

　　The Hu Kaiwen Memorial Hall was founded by Hu Engao, the 7th-generation great-grandson of Hu Kaiwen’s eldest descendant, who is 82 years old. The six large semi-cursive calligraphy characters reading “Hu Kaiwen Memorial Hall” were inscribed personally by Shen Peng, Chairman of the China Calligraphers Association, and delivered on behalf of Hu Jintao. The museum houses extremely rich collections, including famous inks originally created by Hu Kaiwen, such as Li Longzhu, Gu Yumi, Qianqiu Guang, Longxiang Fengwu, Sixty-four Scenes of the Imperial Garden, Thirty-six Peaks of Huangshan, Ancient West Lake Scenic Poems, Cotton Garden, Ten Immortals, Twelve Zodiac Poems, and the gold-medal-winning “Earth Ink” from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, as well as copies of certificates, medals, and photos. Additionally, a rare, sole surviving copy in Anhui of the complete “Ink Numbers” (i.e., the imperial ink recipe book of the Four Great Ink Masters of the Qing Dynasty) has been rebound in thread binding and archived in the museum. Also displayed are photocopies of the “Hui Ink Annals,” “Huizhou Annals,” county annals of various counties, and relevant sections of the “Mingjing Hu Clan Genealogy.”

　　Hu Kaiwen (1742–1808) — The founder of the “Hu Kaiwen” (1742–1808) ink business, Hu Tianzhu, courtesy name Zhuchen, art name Zaifeng, was one of the Four Great Hui Ink Merchants of the Qing Dynasty and a native of Shangzhuang Village, Jixi, Huizhou. In his youth, he apprenticed at Wang Qimao’s Ink Shop in Xiuning County, Huizhou, where he was honest, diligent, and skilled in shop management, earning the deep trust of the owner, who promoted him to a salesman. Enduring hardships while traveling to ports and trading cities, he saved money for his future venture and later married Wang Qimao’s only daughter. In the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (1765), he took over Wang Qimao’s Ink Shop. To produce high-quality products, he selected the finest old ink molds, invested heavily in premium raw materials, and hired skilled artisans to carve molds and make ink. He also took the middle two characters, “Tian Kai Wen Yuan” (Heaven Opens a Garden of Literature), from the golden plaque in the Confucian Temple of Huizhou Prefecture... [Details]