Dong'e Writing Brushes

Dong'e Writing Brushes

　　The writing brush industry in Liaocheng has a long history. By the mid-Ming Dynasty, there were over 1,000 brush makers in the region. Fu Yijin, the first top scholar of the Qing Dynasty, chose premium Liaocheng writing brushes when he went to the capital for the imperial examinations. Emperor Kangxi used Liaocheng brushes to compose essays and poems, and even inscribed the plaque “Divine Light Shines Brightly” for the Guangyue Tower, which shows that Liaocheng writing brushes had already enjoyed great fame at the time.

Over 200 types of writing brushes are produced in Liaocheng, varying in size. Based on specifications, they include the “grasp brush” with the longest hair, suitable for writing characters three feet (approximately 1 meter) high, as well as fine-point brushes for tiny characters as small as beans. Depending on the materials used, they can be categorized into “goat hair,” “wolf hair,” “mixed hair,” “seven-purple-three-goat,” and more. Except for a few pure goat hair regular script brushes, most Liaocheng brushes are still made using the “Wei Dan method” from the Three Kingdoms period, undergoing 72 production procedures before completion. These brushes are known for their elegant appearance, balanced firmness and softness, strong ink absorption, and durability. They possess the four virtues of high-quality brushes — “sharp, even, round, and resilient” — making them excellent tools for calligraphy and painting. In 1955, they were rated first among similar products in the province. They are not only popular domestically but have also been exported five times through ports such as Qingdao, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to places like Hong Kong and Japan. Renowned calligraphers Shu Tong and Yang Xuanting have created many outstanding works using Liaocheng brushes.