|
The writhing brush produced in Huzhou, ink stick from
Huizhou in Anhui Province, ink stone from Duanxi, Gaoyao
country in Guangdong Province, and xuan paper, are regarded
as the "four treasures of the study" in China.
The Huzhou writing brush falls into four categories--the
first made of goat hair which has very flexible features,
second of brownish rabbit hair, third of weasel hair
with stiff characteristics, and the fourth a mixture
of goat and weasel hair, which is neither too flexible
nor too stiff.
The workmanship is exquisite and complicated, as it
contains more than 120 processes from selecting materials
to the finished products.
These brushed are specially good both for painting and
calligraphy. The most famous brands include Yulanrui,
Lantingsan, Youjunshufa and Cuihengchun, because the
shaft of these brushes is usually made either with red
sandalwood or mottled bamboo, white porcelain or even
with ivory. Thus, they are regarded as the best-quality
brushes and the most exquisite handicrafts.
The xuan writing brush, together with the famous xuan
paper, is made in Jingxian County, Anhui Province. In
ancient times, Jingxian County was under the jurisdiction
of Xuanzhou Prefecure, from where the product got its
name.
Scholars in the Jin Dynasty(256-420) were specially
fond of the xuan writing brush. During the Tang (618-907)
and Song (960-1279) dynasties, Xuanzhou became a writing
brush manufacturing center, and the xuan writing brush
was listed as a tribute for the use of emperors.
At that time, folk artisans also made a breakthrough
in craftsmanship, selecting materials and in polishing
the shaft. Brushes were sharp-pointed, neatly cut, plump
and smooth at the tip. Artists could write and draw
freely as they wished by using these brushes combining
stiffness and flexibility. The xuan brushes elaborately
made of brownish rabbit hair are the best and thus command
an extremely high price.
This writing brush was originally made by the venerable
artisan Dai Yuexuan. Now, it is well-known in Beijing
for its high quality and its elaborate craftsmanship.
With the semi-manufactured writing brushes made in Zhejiang's
Huzhou as the main material, the artisan used his immense
skill to make a product uniquely sharp-pointed, neatly
cut, smoothly round and gracefully stiff at the tip.
Because of these four characteristics, this brand enjoyed
high prestige among artists and calligraphers.
Dai Yuexuan actually worked for a writing-brush workshop
by the east entrance to the Liulichang Cultural Street
in Beijing 80 years ago. His brushes were much better
than the brand made in Huzhou although using the same
materials. Later on, the daiyuexuan brand become renowned
far and wide.
Houdian, a small village in the suburbs of Hengshui
City in Hebei Province, is noted worldwide for its good-quality
writing brushes.
Writing-brush manufacture came into existence in Houdian
Village in the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle around 1404,
and flourished in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). In the
early years of the Republic of China, almost all brushes
sold in Beijing's famous Dianyuexuan and Hukaiwen stores
for writing and calligraphy were made by workers from
Houdian. In 1952, the Houdian people built a large plant
to pass on the traditional craftsmanship to the younger
generation and to develop it.
The main materials are taken from the animal's tail,
such as wolf and civet hair from tail, or ox hair from
the ear, in more than 40 kinds. The hair collected in
the winter is the best for making high-quality brushes.
Five main procedures have to be strictly followed in
manufacture, such as hair washing and drying, character
carving on the shafts, packaging and the miscellaneous
process. Each of the five procedures contains about
a dozen processes before a brush with different shape
and different specification is made for different purposes.
Brushes made in Houdian Village are durable, offering
a good combination of flexibility and stiffness, absorbing
more ink than other types, and with little likelihood
of the hair falling out.
Writing brushes are made of animal hair and there are
many kinds with different functions.
Chinese writing brushes are usually categorized according
to various grades of flexibility or stiffness. Brushes
made of rabbit, deer, weasel and rat hair are stiff,
and those made of goat hair and chicken feathers look
more flexible. If one wants a brush neither too flexible
nor too stiff, the best choice is one made from a mixture
of rabbit and goat hair, or a mixture of goat and weasel
hair. There are three combinations: 70 percent rabbit
hair and 30 percent goat hair, the same proportions
in reverse, or equal proportion.
Generally speaking, people who are used to brushes with
flexible features can write with facility using a stiff
brush, while whose used to a stiff brush will find it
hard to write freely by using one with flexible features
for a change. For beginners to practice Chinese calligraphy,
it is best to use brushes with flexible features or
those neither too flexible nor too stiff. The weakness
of the latter is that users cannot write regular script
of large characters, let alone copy models of calligraphy
by Yan Zhenqing, a celebrated Tang Dynasty calligrapher.
Good-quality brushes, as noted earlier, should be sharp-pointed,
smoothly round, neatly cut and stiff at the tip. More
specifically, the brushes are more like tender bamboo
shoots when,having absorbed enough ink; the tip is very
neat when being twisted by the fingers; the hair won't
bend to the shaft, but naturally falls down when the
wet tip goes around a thumb several times. Usually,
the longer the tip of a brush, the more elastic strength
it possesses. It does not mean the longer the tip of
a brush, the more elastic strength it possesses. It
does not mean the longer the hair of a brush, the better
it is. When a brush shows a long and semi-transparent
tip in the sunshine, it can be considered as being of
good quality.
The forgoing consideration may assist people to choose
writing brushes and write or draw with facility.
|
