A Brush With Fame

By+ding+Ying

In the early winter of 1916， Dai yuexuan， a young ink brush maker from Huzhou， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， founded his own store on Liulichang Street， a renowned center for antique shops and the production of arts and craft tools and instruments in Beijing. Today， Daiyuexuan， the business carrying the name of its founder， is the Chinese capitals best and most time-honored ink brush producer.

Not only is the company the curator of a quickly vanishing set of skills， it is also representative of Chinas intangible cultural heritage.

A stroke of genius

Traditionally， Chinese literati possessed four instruments with which to ply their trade： brush， ink stick， ink stone and paper. People began to refer to them as the “four jewels of the study”during the Southern and Northern Dynasties（A.D. 420-589）.

The ink brush is the oldest of these four jewels， dating back to the Han Dynasty （202 B.C.-A.D. 220）. Since the late 14th century， Dai yuexuans hometown， Huzhous Shanlian， has been regarded as home to the most famous and highly prized traditional ink brushes.

“Our brushes are made using the best materials， which is the underlying principle of Daiyuexuan，” said Bai Wenchong， Manager of Daiyuexuans flagship store in Liulichang， to Beijing Review. He stressed that the original tablet of Daiyuexuan was inscribed upon by Feng Guozhang （1859-1919）， then Chinas head of state.

Ink brushes are usually made from animal hair. Each type of hair has a specific ink capacity and distinct brush strokes are produced depending on the softness， hardness， thickness and length of the hair used. Hence specific types of brushes are used for different styles of calligraphy and painting.

Bai revealed that Daiyuexuans ink brushes are primarily made with white goat hair， black rabbit hair， yellow weasel hair， or a combina- tion of the aforementioned. The ink brushes produced by Daiyuexuan have long been celebrated for their meticulous craftsmanship and special features of being perfectly straight， sharp and vigorous and for forcibly coupling hardness with softness.

“Materials selection is very strict，” said Bai. Its yellow weasel hair comes from northeast China. Because of the long cold winters there， yellow weasels have better coats of hair than their ilk in other locations. Additionally， only hair growing in the middle of a weasel tail can be selected to make ink brushes as hair on the tail tip is often damaged from abrasion arising from contact with the ground.

White goat hair comes from Huzhou. Bai pointed out that there is a reason why Huzhou has produced the countrys best ink brushes for a period lasting over 2，000 years. The regions goats feed on mulberry leaves， the staple food of silkworms. Owing to their special diet， the white goats bred there have more luxuriant hair. Ink brushes made with white goat hair from Huzhou have better elasticity and longevity， Bai said.

According to Bai， the materials used for the brush handle are also very important. Brush handles are commonly made from bamboo， but special brushes may have handles formed from sandalwood， jade， or carved bone.

Daiyuexuans highest-quality ink brushes are made with exquisite craftsmanship and are checked in accordance with strict standards. Wang Houxian， a fifth-generation proponent of Daiyuexuans ink brush-making skills， explained to Beijing Review that it takes over 100 separate procedures to complete a single brush.

Wang has been engaged in brush making for 22 years. “I spent three years as an apprentice when I was young. But I have continued honing my skills to this day. In this business， people can always make perfection more perfect，” he said. Wang explained that brush making relies on the accumulation of experience as well as the quality of the various materials employed. For example， he said， hair is laboriously sorted and then bundled together for specific uses.

Its easy to understand how a mixed-hair ink brush may have different functions based on the differing proportions of the hairs used. Even though the proportion is the same， ink brushes can be of varying elasticity， because animal hairs are selected from different parts of the body or in different seasons， Wang said.

Complete proficiency in a range of delicate skills enables one of Daiyuexuans unique selling points， advanced customization. For instance， as Bai stated， Daiyuexuan has long been the official ink brush supplier of the Central Government and has often catered to the individual tastes of some pretty famous patrons. Chairman Mao Zedong （1893-1976） was partial to ink brushes made from longer yellow weasel hair， while Premier Zhou Enlai （1898-1976） preferred those made from shorter black rabbit hair. In addition， Peng Zhen （1902-97）， Chinas top legislator in the 1980s， favored ink brushes made with roasted strands of hair， because they could hold more ink.

Moreover， Bai stated calligraphers and painters can order special ink brushes to accommodate their differing styles and demands of ink strokes. This thoughtful service has secured loyalty of numerous celebrity users. For instance， Daiyuexuan provided famed painter Qi Baishi （1864-1957） with painting brushes free of charge when he was not such a well-known figure. After Qi became one of the leading painters in China， he continued to order his brushes from Daiyuexuan. Today， the company remains the top brush provider for many noteworthy figures who enjoy traditional calligraphy and painting.

Cultural heritage

As a brand with 98 years of history， the inheritance and development of traditional skills are essential. Apart from different brush-making skills and standards， its current business layout is almost the same as in the old days.

Since its founding， the layout featuring “a store in the front and a workshop in the rear”has been employed. Today， there are 8-10 master workers in the workshop. Among these workers are two heirs of Daiyuexuans brushmaking skills， Wang and Teng Zhanmin， the latter of whom is a seal-cutting master， calligrapher and painter.

Daiyuexuans Beijing plant produces only midrange and high-end handmade ink brushes， while cheaper ones are produced in plants in Huzhou.“Materials are the core factor that determines the pricing of ink brushes，” said Wang. “Today， its harder and harder to collect rare and precious materials， which means good ink brushes are much more expensive than before.”

Displayed in Daiyuexuans store in Liulichang is a yellow weasel-haired brush， which is priced at 280，000 yuan （$45，000）. “It took me about six years to finish this brush，” said Wang. “Most of that time was spent collecting yellow weasel hair more than 12 cm long， because it is very hard to find wild yellow weasels with such longhaired tails.”

Wang and his colleagues also pay extra attention toward creating new types of ink brushes designed to meet the needs of people in the modern era. For example， they even take orders from parents to make brushes out of the hair of their newborn children， to be passed down as a precious memento for years to come.

In the past， Daiyuexuan sold only ink brushes. In the 1980s， however， the company changed their product lineup and started to sell other traditional instruments， incorporating the other three “jewels of the study，” as well as brush holders， brush hangers， paperweights， brush-rinsing pots， seals and seal ink. “Now， buy- ers can collect a complete set of the ‘four jewels of the study in our store，” said Bai.

As early as 1993， Daiyuexuan was certificated as one of Chinas “time-honored brands.”In 2004， it was honored as one of the countrys most famous brands. Bai revealed that it is soon to be recognized as state-level intangible culture heritage. “The government has encouraged and supported us all the time，” said Bai.“This has greatly facilitated the preservation of Daiyuexuans skills.” He added that the government grants Daiyuexuan a special subsidy every year to help it pass down its outstanding skills in brush making to future generations.

Bai pointed out that although advanced modern technologies are being discovered every day， the Daiyuexuan ink brush has not faded from the public sphere. He noted that the companys business situation has only improved with time. At present， it has over a dozen stores operating throughout the country. To catch up with the times， it also runs e-business on the Internet. Furthermore， Daiyuexuan provides fans of traditional culture with the opportunity to learn how to make their own handmade ink brushes. “This is a more vivid way in which to foster recognition of our traditional culture and this intangible cultural heritage，” said Bai.