Pine Flower Stone Inkstone

Pine Flower Stone Inkstone

Pine Flower Stone Inkstone is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Pine Flower Stone Inkstone, also known as Pine Flower Jade Inkstone, is made from pine flower stone mined in the Changbai Mountain area. The craft of carving inkstones from pine flower stone has a history of over 300 years, with isolated examples appearing as early as the Ming Dynasty, and it was listed as a tribute item during the Qing Dynasty, highly favored by the royal family. Pine flower stone, also called pine flower jade, is a type of limestone formed in a marine sedimentary environment. Approximately 850 million years ago, during the Sinian Period, the Changbai Mountain region was once an ocean. The large amounts of calcium carbonate dissolved in seawater slowly deposited due to evaporation, and through diagenesis, became solid limestone.

　　　　After the late Qing Dynasty, Pine Flower Stone Inkstones once disappeared for a time but production was resumed in 1981 by the Tonghua Arts and Crafts Factory. After expert evaluation, its ink-releasing quality, water retention, and color were found to be the same as those of traditional Pine Flower Stone Inkstones. As soon as the finished products were launched, they won praise from calligraphers, collectors, and other notable figures both in China and abroad. They have become one of China’s high-end handicraft exports, selling as far as Japan and other countries. Visitors to Changbai Mountain may want to take home a Pine Flower Stone Inkstone so that while practicing calligraphy, they can fondly recall their unforgettable trip to the mountain.

　　The production area for Pine Flower Inkstones (Pine Flower Stone Inkstones) includes the following 12 administrative regions currently under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province: Jiangyuan District, Hunjiang District, Linjiang City, and Jingyu County in Baishan City; Dongchang District, Erdaojiang District, Tonghua County, Liuhe County, Huinan County, and Ji’an City in Tonghua City; and Dunhua City and Antu County in Yanbian Prefecture.