Editor’s Note: This article is produced in collaboration with the Chongqing Institute of Foreign Studies, as part of a series of ongoing reports exploring the city’s abundant resources in intangible cultural heritages.

Hechuan Gorge Inkstone (also named Three Gorges Inkstone), together with Jinyin Inkstone, Kui Inkstone are called the three famous inkstones of Chongqing. Ranking first among the three, Hechuan Gorge Inkstone is also one of the twelve Bayu works and the only traditional handicraft that has been completely inherited. Hechuan Gorge Inkstone has other names such as Precious Jade Inkstone, Diaoyu Fortress Gorge Inkstone or Three Gorges Inkstone.

Crafted by the natural stones of Libi Gorge of Jialing River, the gorge stone (also called “black jade”) here is unique in China with exquisite tactile sensation and elegant color. The inkstone made by gorge stone would not damage the tip of a writing brush and it can retain water and inkstick for some days.

The pursuit of inkstone and writing brush of the ancient literati is similar to the enthusiasm for mechanical keyboard and optical mouse of modern people. Gorge inkstone attracts the literati all over the country since it was made 500 years ago. Zhou Dunyi, the writer of Ai Lian Shuo, used the gorge inkstone when he was writing in the Yang Xin Pavillion. Li Shi, the ministry of personnel in the Ying Zong Period of Ming Dynasty, wrote poems to praise the inkstone of his hometown. The modern literati and artists such as Feng Yuxiang, Guo Moruo, Yu Youren, Xie Wuliang also wrote poems to praise gorge inkstone. We can see the flourishing history of Hechuan Gorge inkstone.

However, the development of gorge Inkstone is not easy. In Song Dynasty, Hechua Gorge inkstone was famous for its exquisite carving which could compare favorably with Duan inkstone, Xi inkstone, Tao inkstone and Dengni inkstone — the four famous inkstones. But in the middle and late period of South Song Dynasty, Song and Meng armies were at war and gorge inkstone halted production until Ming Dynasty. But there were chaos caused by war at the end of Ming Dynasty, craftsmen migrated to avoid wars, which made the production of gorge inkstone halt again. Until Kang Xi period, the immigrants from Hunan and Guangxi as well as local craftsmen in Sichuan worked together to revitalize carving technics and made gorge inkstone rejuvenated.

With the improvement of modern craft, the shape of inkstone evolved from squareness, line, roundness to a variety of shapes. The craftsmen carve the normal inkstone into different kinds such as Pink (Shi Zhu, a plant), Beautiful woman, Dragon, and Phoenix. The craftsmen made ‘Chang E Ben Yue’, ‘Xian Nv Xian Hua’ and ‘Chinese Dragon’ and other works by relief, hollow out, and other complex technics, which made gorge inkstone famous in the country. In the 1930s, Gorge Instone is known as one of the top ten inkstones in China and was exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries. Even in the 1980s, Gorge inkstone developed into thousands of kinds. Since then, in addition to the black jade, the craftsmen have also discovered red damask stones that can be used for carving. They have also combined the texture and shape of the original stone with traditional Chinese culture. This has allowed Hechuan Gorge Inkstone to continue to produce new products in the new generation.

Matters like the progress of the business model, the evolution of traditional technics, the higher standard of the aesthetic, the expansion and inheritance of talents are all important and challenging, and they point out the directions of future development. Since the development of Xia Yan, there are few inheritors, and it has been lost through generations. In 2009, Diaoyu Fortress Gorge Inkstone was listed as one of the first batches of intangible cultural heritages in Chongqing. Diaoyu Fortress Gorge Inkstone Crafts Co., Ltd., Hechuan District, Chongqing City, established the Hechuan Gorge Inkstone Industry Association as the chairman unit which aimed at the integration of Hechuan local folk carving technology and the promotion of Gorge Inkstone so as to carry forward this traditional folk craft.

(The original article comes with a Chinese version authored by Cao Yinyin (advisor/Ran Hongqing) as well as an English version translated by Wan Kang (advisor/Lei Yu), and was later narrated by Chen Qinwen (advisor/Lei Yu), all of whom are students (and teachers) from Chongqing Institute of Foreign Studies.)