Xingzi Golden Star Inkstone

Xingzi Golden Star Inkstone

　　Xingzi County is located in northern Jiangxi, bordered by Mount Lu to the north and Poyang Lake to the south. It was established as Xingzi Town during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, upgraded to a county in the Northern Song Dynasty, and became the seat of Nankang Prefecture during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The prefecture was abolished after the Republic of China, and after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it came under the jurisdiction of Jiujiang City. Covering a total area of 894 square kilometers, the county had a population of 240,000 in 2004. Its county seat, Nankang Town, is 36 kilometers from Jiujiang City.

Xingzi Golden Star Inkstone, also known as "Golden Star Song Inkstone." The main production area of Golden Star stone is at the foot of Tuoling Mountain in Hengtang Town, Xingzi County, where there is a village called Songcun that has been engaged in quarrying and inkstone making since ancient times. Local legend says that the first inkstone was made by Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty. The Northern Song Dynasty’s Mi Fu wrote about Xingzi bluestone inkstones in his "History of Inkstones." The county’s cultural relics management office houses several Song and Qing Dynasty inkstones. By the Ming Dynasty, inkstone production had declined for a time but saw a revival in the mid-Qing Dynasty. There is an “Inkstone Pond Street” in Xingzi County. During the Republic of China period, the craft saw modest development, with over a hundred inkstone workshops operating in the county. Locally made Golden Star Inkstones were exhibited twice at international shows and won awards.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government supported the production of Golden Star Inkstones. Two specialized manufacturers were established, designs were updated, advanced equipment was introduced, and inkstone-making techniques were modernized. This led to rapid development in production. From the 1980s to the 1990s, Golden Star Inkstones frequently won awards in national exhibitions and competitions. Many contemporary calligraphers and cultural figures inscribed words and titles for the inkstones, and the products were exported to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Europe and America. By the late 1990s, following the reform of state-owned enterprises, there are now nearly a hundred private enterprises and individual workshops.

Golden Star Inkstones are valued for their tough, fine, smooth, and lustrous stone, which features dense and delicate patterns. They release ink quickly, retain water without drying out, endure prolonged grinding without producing powder, and have an “ink-releasing sheen.” Their practical value has been appreciated by people throughout history. The color and pattern variations of Golden Star stone itself offer natural beauty. Traditional Golden Star Inkstones, inspired by local products, landscapes, and folklore, are highly regional in style—simple, expressive, and rich in local character—making them treasured works of Chinese folk art.