She Inkstone Making Technique

The She inkstone takes its name from She County in old Huizhou; inkstones were made here as early as the Han and Jin and flourished under the Tang, ranked with the Duan, Taohe and Chengni stones as one of China's four great inkstones. Its stone comes chiefly from Longwei Mountain in Wuyuan, fine-grained and both hard and smooth. The technique entered the first national ICH list in 2006.

The She inkstone is shaped to suit each stone, working with the material through selecting, designing, roughing, carving, fine-carving, polishing and waxing; the natural "gold star, silver star, eyebrow and silk" veining is especially prized, and the carving favours landscapes, flowers, birds and antiquarian motifs.

The She inkstone is a centrepiece of the Chinese scholar's desk, carrying Huizhou carving and calligraphic tradition; together with Hui ink it forms the "twin treasures of the Huizhou study," with significant cultural, artistic and craft value.