Hechuan Gorge Inkstone

Hechuan Gorge Inkstone

Hechuan Gorge Inkstone is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The Fishing Castle Gorge Inkstone, commonly known as the Three Gorges Stone Inkstone or Hechuan Gorge Inkstone, is meticulously crafted from natural gorge stones found in the Lìbì Gorge section of the Jialing River beneath the Fishing Castle in Hechuan, Chongqing. “Gorge stone,” also called “black jade stone,” is unique to China and is found on the eastern bank of the Lìbì Gorge (commonly referred to as the Little Three Gorges) in Maliu Village (Modao Stream), Caojie Town, behind the hills. The Gorge Inkstone is known for its fine stone texture, elegant color, fast ink grinding without damaging the brush tip, water retention in the inkstone that stays moist for days, ink storage that doesn’t spoil, and stone material that resists weathering over time. According to tests by Professor Xu Guomin from Chongqing Medical University, the stone contains “aluminum oxide,” a hard metal capable of cutting gold and jade, beneficial for sharpening blades and keeping edges keen. Carving artisans use tools such as chisels, drills, hammers, and abrasives, going through more than ten procedures including stone mining (cave extraction), material selection, conceptualization, drafting, initial shaping, fine grinding, detailed carving, coloring, polishing, evaluation, and packaging. They employ various carving techniques such as relief carving, openwork carving, intaglio carving, drilling patterns, and combinations of hollow and relief carving to create Gorge Inkstones. The products feature exquisite shapes and lifelike details, and have been cherished by literati and artists for centuries. They are hailed as the foremost among the Three Famous Inkstones of Bayu (Three Gorges Stone Inkstone, Golden Sound Stone Inkstone, and Kui Inkstone), and in 2009, the Fishing Castle Gorge Inkstone was included in the first batch of Chongqing Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage.

　　The carving technique of Gorge Inkstones originated in the Song Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty, boasting a long history. As early as the Ming Dynasty, the Fishing Castle Gorge Inkstone enjoyed great renown. Li Shi, a Ministry of Personnel official from Hezhou in the Ming Dynasty, once wrote a poem praising the inkstone: “Beside the gorge, a secluded hut; a skilled craftsman carves on a stone plate; when the ink is stirred, dragons and clouds dance; when the brush moves, tiger-like rankings hang; the stone is smooth as jade, the craftsmanship passed down by master hands; precious as a guest of the literary world, one of the four treasures.” Renowned figures and calligraphers from modern times, such as Feng Yuxiang, Yu Youren, and Xie Wuliang, also composed poems in praise of the Gorge Inkstone. The Gorge Inkstone was listed among the Twelve Treasures of Bayu and was considered a premium product in major stationery stores of the time such as Shanghai’s Four Treasures House, Huizhou’s Old Hu Kaiwen, and Hankou’s Zou Ziguang Pavilion. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Hechuan Three Gorges Stone Inkstone won awards such as the Sichuan Provincial Tourism Product Quality Award, the Honorary Certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, and the Chongqing High-Quality Product Certificate. Among them, the “Hundred Dragons Playing with a Turtle” Gorge Inkstone, designed and carved in Hechuan, was collected by Zhongnanhai.

　　The path of inheriting the carving technique of Gorge Inkstones has been arduous and winding. In the early Song Dynasty, there were only a handful of local inkstone makers in Hechuan, but their carving skills were widely renowned. Later, during the mid-to-late Southern Song Dynasty amid battles between the Song and Mongol forces, the production of Hechuan Gorge Inkstones came to a temporary halt. It resumed in the Ming Dynasty, but was interrupted again in the late Ming period due to warfare, as artisans fled their homes to escape conflict, leading to another cessation of production. It was not until the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty that immigrants from the “Huguang Filling Sichuan” movement and local folk artist Li Yinshan resumed this hand-carved craft. Modern folk artisans evolved from simple square, strip, and small round shapes to various irregular forms inspired by natural shapes. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, folk carving artisans have passed down the Gorge Inkstone carving technique to this day. Since the 1980s, the number of styles has expanded from just a few to nearly a hundred varieties today. However, now the craft faces a shortage of successors, with only around ten artisans in all of Hechuan still engaged in inkstone production, and the carving technique is at risk of being lost.

　　Chongqing Hechuan District Fishing Castle Gorge Inkstone Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd. is determined to vigorously inherit and promote this outstanding intangible cultural heritage. In the face of challenges such as a lack of successors in inkstone making and the decreasing natural resources of Gorge stones, the company established the Hechuan Gorge Inkstone Industry Association as the leading member. It is committed to integrating local folk carving techniques, hiring well-known local master carvers and renowned domestic designers at high costs, dedicating itself to researching Gorge Inkstone carving methods, meticulously crafting premium Gorge Inkstones, continuously developing and promoting the art form, and carrying forward this traditional folk craft of Gorge Inkstones.