Hu Kuizhang Brush Studio

Founded in 1823, the Hu Kuizhang studio has made writing brushes for two centuries, prized above all for its wolf-hair brushes, and is the only surviving hand brush-maker in northeast China.

Hu Kuizhang stands with Beijing's Li Fushou and Shanghai's Zhou Huchen as one of China's three great brush houses; recognized as a Time-Honored Brand in 1993, it is esteemed by calligraphers and painters.

Brush-making runs through eight stages—preparing materials, sorting hair, treating hemp, the water-basin work, shaping the shaft, fitting, drying and engraving—across 126 hand-worked steps that form the brush tip.