Chapter 11 Section 6 Clear Ink

In the Qing Dynasty, the ink industry represented by "Hui ink" had further development.Regarding the characteristics of Qing ink, it is just as Wang Jiean, a famous ink maker in the Qing Dynasty, said in "Han Pu Zhai Mo Pin": "The good legal system and the exhaustion of vertebral refining are not as good as the ancient ones; but the splendor of gold and green, the preparation of smoke and musk deer, The ancients are not the present." It can be said that the one sentence speaks out the characteristics of Qingmo.In terms of complete shape and gorgeous surface decoration, Qing ink has indeed surpassed the previous generation, and it has become the heyday in the history of ink making.

Mohists in the Qing Dynasty were still concentrated in the Huizhou area.In the early stage, the She faction was in the dominant position, and in the later period, the Xiu faction dominated.In addition, Wupai also gradually developed.In the Hui ink industry, there is a trend of tripartite confrontation.Since the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Cao Sugong, Wang Jinsheng, Wang Jie'an, and Hu Kaiwen have risen successively, forming the four great masters of the ink circle in the Qing Dynasty.Introduce respectively below. Cao Su was a famous official, and his courtesy name was Changyan. He was born in She County.Cao was born in the late Ming Dynasty, but his ink making career began in the early Qing Dynasty.Cao was an official in his early years, and he was appointed as the chief envoy during the Kangxi period. Because he had no real job, he returned to his hometown to make ink.It took over the "Xuan Su Zhai" Mo Si from Wu Shuda of the Mo family at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and changed its name to "Yi Su Zhai".Because Cao Yuan was connected to the officialdom and handed over to the rich and powerful, his business was booming.Later, during Kangxi's southern tour, he offered ink without merit, and was quite appreciated. The emperor bestowed the word "Zi Yu Guang", which made him famous.

Cao Sugong's early ink was recorded in "Cao's Ink Forest", and later in the late Qing Dynasty, later generations compiled the book "Huishe Yi Suzhai Ink Pin".Cao Sugong's ink products include "Purple Yuguang", "Tianchen", "Tianrui", "Leopard Bag Congshang", "Qinglinsui", "Qianqiuguang", "Brush Flower", "Daiyun", " Liao Tianyi", "Fragrant Jade and Five Jues", "Ten Views of the Rooftop", "Ten Views of the West Lake", "Planting and Weaving" and so on.Cao Sugong's ink products are almost all "Jiji ink".

"Tianchen" is an antique ink. "Yimo" is a kind of mixed ink.Hong Mai of the Song Dynasty said in his "Rong Zhai Essays": "When all things are combined, there are Yijiang, Yimo, and Yijiu." "Tianchen" means a natural treasure.According to "Cao's Mo Lin", Lu Mingshi's "Mo Ming" said: "Using Tianchen for quality, chasing moose for style, going down to Tang and Song Dynasties, and converging into the history of ink." Its meaning, from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties to the Tang and Song Dynasties, there are 26 kinds in total." The existing famous antique inks include "imitation of Geng's", "imitation of Li Chao", "imitation of Qiqi lacquer smoke", "imitation of Zhang Yutianfeng coal" , "Zhang Yongzao", "Yi Shuiguang", "Zhongjiang Gufa", "Xiaoyaozimo", "Soft Agent", "Zaihemo", "Yuanyan", "Sanqu (ququ) Cai Rong [Tao Tao]", as well as Wang Weiqing's "Gusu Mountain Man", Su Meiyang's "Wai Can Xiao Mo", "Pan Gu Zao" and so on.From the ink names listed above, it can be seen that they are all famous ink artists in the history of ink, and they are "style chasing moose". "Tianchen" is the "course of ink" represented by a box of collected ink, and it is a visualized "history of ink".

"Tianrui", a set of ten kinds, including "Grass Sage", "Jiu Xian", "True Confucianism", "Hermit", "Taoist", "Warrior", "Eminent Monk", "Beauty", "Ci Bo" and "Painter".Some of the ink-faced patterns are more realistic, while others are more symbolic, which is quite similar to the style of Hu Zhengyan's "Shizhuzhai Jianpu" in the late Ming Dynasty.Really, ten inks and ten eases, high moral and beautiful talents, show a box of essence, and the ink color is "Tianrui".

"Purple Yuguang", named by Kangxi, is Cao Sugong's favorite work, and "Mo Pin Zan" is listed as the first.The "Thirty-Six Peaks of Mount Huangshan" are painted on the ink surface, which are drawn according to the shape of the peaks of Mount Huangshan, and when put together, they form a complete "map of Mount Huangshan".It's really "the purple light on the jade floating...there is nothing like it in the world".Because it is the ink of the "imperial inscription", the production is extremely exquisite. "Plowing and Weaving Map" is a large set of ink, with a total of 47 ingots.The whole set is packed in two lacquer boxes. The surface of the box has a pattern of double dragons playing with pearls and gold. The front of the first ingot is the inscription "Imperial Farming and Weaving Picture Poetry" in Kangxi regular script; the back is a dragon pattern.From 2 ingots to 24 ingots is the "cultivation map", from 25 to 47 ingots is the "weaving map".Very beautifully made.

Qing writer Yao Nai praised Cao Sugong in "On Mo Quatrains" and said: "Except for Tingyu and Kua Naiweng, several excellent artists can be the same. Come to a man to be a craftsman of Xiang Yuer, why is Cao Sugong now." Zhao Qingli of the Qing Dynasty said "The ink in the world pushes Shezhou, and the ink in Shezhou pushes Cao." In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Chifu also said in "Jimo Xiaoyan": "Cao Shi was the first son of burning smoke in recent times." As mentioned above, ink was made in the Qing Dynasty. In history, Cao Sugong occupies a first-class position, and he is indeed a giant in the ink world [bo win].

The descendants of Su Gong are all karmic ink, and they will not decline for ten generations.The fifth grandson Cao Dechou opened a branch in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province; the sixth grandson Cao Yaoqian reached the best level in history; the ninth grandson Cao Ruiyou moved his family business to Shanghai.The expansion of Cao's ink industry has promoted the development of the ink industry in a larger area. Wang Jinsheng, a native of Jixi, was originally an ink worker at Cao Sugong's Mo Si.During the reign of Kangxi and Yongzheng, he broke away from the Cao family and set up his own business. He opened the ink shop "Jianguzhai" and independently operated the ink industry. The ink made is hard, fine, and bright. "Wang's Ink Forest" uploaded Fang Qinru saying that Wang Jinsheng's ink "can be judged by light, can be cut by sharpness, is better than jade, and is meticulous." It also contains Li Shengling's words, "Wang Zi is close to the sage, the skills are more ordinary, and the system is beautiful. , the method is good at all details, search for smoke and samadhi, and collect it." "Jianguzhai Mopin" contains "Imperial Farming and Weaving Maps", "Imperial Antique Inkstones", "Sikuwenge Poetry and Ink", " "Imperial West Lake Scenic Spots Picture Poem", "Zhou Xuanwang Stone Drum Writing and Ink", "Huangshan Picture", "Xin'an Great Landscape", "Wan Chuan Frost", "Long Guang Wan Zai", "Linchi Grass Saint", "Ten Color Zhu Ink", "Eight Diagrams with Ten Colors" and other ink products are all excellent works of Wang Mozhong.Wang Jinsheng's ink skills are indeed outstanding, and people at the time commented: "Today's Jinsheng is the old court."

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the court called for "ink-making teaching", and Wang Jinsheng's second son, Wang Weigao, went to Beijing in response.Wang Ziwei was tall, and after doing "teaching", his reputation became very loud.Wang Jinsheng has "Wang's Mo Lin" and "Jian Gu Zhai Mo Pin" in existence. Wangjie nunnery is named Xuanli, and its word is Rongwu.A native of She County during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods.The ink shop he opened was named "Han Pu Zhai", which stood at the same time as "Yi Su Zhai" and "Jian Gu Zhai". Especially after Cao Sugong's ink shop moved to other places, Wang Jie'an became the Maoxiu in Huizhou area.Wangjie'an is famous for its ink. According to "Han Pu Zhai Mopin", there are "five hundred catties of oil", "one hundred thousand pestle", "far away smoke and fragrant ink", "Zhuzi's reading pleasure", "antique money style", "scholar's Rui Margaret", "Ancient Pine Heart", "Light Smoke Across Water", "Falling Paper and Cloud Smoke" and so on.Wang Jie’an’s ink is famous, and it is often selected as a tribute by some high-ranking officials. It is recorded that: “The officials in the south of the Yangtze River often offer prescriptions. The selected ink must be from the Wang family.” Ruan Yuanjin, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, presented the royal ink, which is Wang Jie’an Made.Ruan Yuan said: "Xuanshe ink school, together with Yishui Daixing, is the first one in today's world. It is Jie'an Wang family. In his spare time, he studies scriptures and tries them out. The emerald green light reflects the rattan slips, which are full of order and system. Gong Yan." The above three ink-making schools all belonged to the She School, and after the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the Hu Kaiwen School came out from the Xiu School, which was called Hu Kaiwen together with the former three heroes.

Hu Kaiwen, formerly known as Hu Zheng, was born in Jixi.In the early years, he leased the "Caizhang ink shop" in Tunxi, Huizhou and opened it. Later, he took over the old shop of his father-in-law Wang Qimao to manage the ink business.It was renamed "Kaiwen" because of the "Tiankai Wenyun" plaque hanging on the Mingyuan Building of Nanjing Gongyuan.Later, the main store was set up in Xiuning, and another branch was set up in Tunxi.The main store is set up to burn tobacco and make ink, and it is sold in branch stores.The ink made by Hu Kaiwen can be roughly classified into two categories: one is zero ingot ink; the other is collection ink.

According to "Cang Pei Shi Mo Pin", there are "Ancient Moose", "Tian Gao", "Gui Bi Guang", "Yu Qiao Geng Du", "Golden Pot Juice", "Wu Yu", "Golden Pot Juice" and "Wu Yu" among the zero ingot inks. "Lan Yan", "Purple Fragrance" and so on; among the collected inks are "Imperial Forty Kinds of West Lake", "Imperial Cotton Picture", "Imperial Shuanghezhai Eight Scenery Poetry and Ink" and so on. In the middle of the last century, due to the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion, the economic development of Huizhou was destroyed.At that time, the ink industry, the three sensual companies in the early stage, were in a difficult situation so far.Hu Kaiwen's ink shop, because of decentralized management, mutual support, and strategic management, such as complete varieties and reasonable grades, etc., presents an exclusive prosperity.Later, "Hu Kaiwen ink shops" were gradually opened in the north and south of the Yangtze River, and even in many places in the upper reaches.Since then, only the Hu family has shown their talents and led the ink circle alone.Xu Kang in the Qing Dynasty said in "窳 [yuyu] Sou Molu": "After the catastrophe, only Hu Kaiwen prevailed." In the Huizhou area of ​​the Qing Dynasty, in addition to the four masters of the She School and the Xiu School, the Wuyuan area has also produced ink since the Ming Dynasty, and many Mo schools have emerged. There are more than 80 Mohists in the Zhan family alone.Wuyuan inks are mostly popular inks.Because of its low price, it is popular among general intellectuals and the general public.Most of the ink names in Wumo are popular among the people, such as "Eight Immortals celebrating birthday", "Three Roars of Tiger Creek" and so on.Wumo has made important contributions to cultural popularization activities. In addition to the four major masters of Qing ink painting, there are also some famous ink makers who also have a good reputation. Now select the important ones and briefly introduce them. In the name of Cheng Zhenglu, he was named Shameful Husband, and also named Jingyangzi.The ink shop is named "Wuxuezhai".The ink made is "dark but clear, shiny but moist".Ink products include "Yiluo Yuanyuan", "Tianguan Coal", "Jiuchouxu", "Xiyuan Elegant Collection", "Ziyang Yimo", "Shujin", "Daguoxiang" and so on. Cheng Zhenglu has frequent contacts with many celebrities and officials, and they often have good relationships.For example, he had a close relationship with Cao Yin (the ancestor of Cao Xueqin), and Cheng Zeng made the tribute ink "Lantai Elite" for Cao Dai.He also painted "The Picture of Neem [Lianlian] Pavilion" for Cao, and Cao also presented Cheng with a poem.Cao Yin's literary and artistic attainments are very high, and he also has a lot of research on the "Four Treasures of the Study". Shi Shilun has a poem praising the taste of ink: "The guest retreated to the neem pavilion to chat and try ink, and the spare time of the public spent the day to write poems." Cheng Yiqing is also known as Yaotian, Yichou, and Yitian.During the Qianlong period, a famous scholar, Master Pu Xue, was also a famous figure in the ink world.The ink of "Writing the Six Classics in the Auditorium" made by him is his representative work, and it was seen as important in the world at that time.Cheng specializes in Sinology and has a crush on Zheng Kangcheng.Cheng said in "Tong Yi Lu" that "Yu Chu had Kang Cheng's ambition to write scriptures and biography and others, and wanted to build an auditorium to live in." The name of the auditorium came from this.Cheng Wei did not hesitate to exhaust his family resources in order to make ink of the best quality.Yao Nai's "Lun Mo Quatrains": "I love Yao Tian who is good at discussing the qin, and his Bowen is so deep and profound. I have only passed on the ink technique for five thousand pestles, but I have lost one hundred thousand gold." . In Qing ink, there is another type of so-called "supervisor" "tribute ink" and "self-use ink".This is the ink that those local officials invite to pay tribute, or dignitaries and literati collect for their own use, and customize ink from some Mosi shops and Mohists.Although this type of ink is marked with the words "Supervisor" and so on, most of it actually comes from the hands of Huizhou ink workers.There is no shortage of famous scholars and dignitaries of this kind of Mohists, and I will briefly introduce one or two here. The aforementioned Ruan Yuan has an ingot of bell-shaped ink, with the regular script "Natural Picture" in the middle, and the five characters "Chen Ruan Yuan Gongjin" on the side; there is also a rectangular ink "Nanping Evening Bell", and the side script "Zhejiang Governor Ruan Yuan Gong Enter." Ruan Yuan's tribute ink should be made by Wang Jie'an.In addition, the aforementioned Cao Yin is in the form of "Lantai Elite" elongated ink, and on the back is "Supervised by Weaving Minister Cao Yin", which was made by Cheng Zhenglu.In addition, Cao Dingwang, who had a deep friendship with Cao Yin's family, also liked to make ink.At that time, he and Cao Sugong were known as "Northern Cao and Southern Cao".Ji Yun, who used to be the chief editor of Siku Quanshu, has "Ji Xiaolan's calligraphy and ink" and side script "Haiyang Wu Shengyou System".Liu Yong, a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty, had the ink "Liu Ting Xian Fang", and the side was "Supervised by She Cao Su Gong".Chen Hongshou, a seal engraver in the Qing Dynasty, was named Mansheng.The pottery pot designed is very famous, with ink "Chang Yu Xian Guan" and "Man Sheng Zhi" on the back, but it was actually made by Wang Jie'an.Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen, who are both anti-British heroes and have made great contributions through the ages, both have ink deposits.In addition, Nie Shicheng, who resisted foreign aggression, sacrificed his life for the country, and was well-known at the end of his life, has the ink "Hefei Nie's Tibetan Tobacco". Tribute ink and self-use ink are major features of Qing ink.Or to compete for favor in the court, or for arty, or for inspirational inscriptions, or for self-appreciation by keeping cigarettes.In any case, it has enriched the colorful content of ink culture and left valuable information for the history of culture and art. Another major feature of Qing ink is that there are many "Jijin inks", and "Jiji ink" has developed to the peak in the Qing Dynasty.Since the early Qing Dynasty, all Mohists have been able to refine "Jijin ink". "Collection Ink" is obviously playful.There are many types of ink collections in the Qing Dynasty, with ingenious combinations, exquisite paintings and carvings, and elegant decorations.Take the shape as an example, there are tripod-shaped, Gui-shaped, Zhang-shaped, Jue-shaped, pot-shaped, rectangular, oval, hexagonal, polygonal, lotus, sunflower, album, fan and other shapes.There are pavilions, terraces and pavilions, caves and ravines stacked with stones, dragons, phoenixes and unicorns, tourists, flowers and birds.One picture and one scene, the drawing is fine, the expression is lifelike, it is staggering. "Jijin ink" is a symphony in ink products, which "systematically" expresses the beauty of ink form, which can be described as perfect, so it is often used by the royal family.Most of the imperial inks in the Qing Dynasty were "Jijin ink".Later, Hu Kaiwen hired Wang Suizhi, a well-known artist who carved ink molds, to turn over the ink molds and copy them into ink.There are four ingots in this collection of ink in different shapes.The poems and inks of Wenyuan Pavilion are oblong; the poems and inks of Wenjin Pavilion are in the shape of ancient Huiwen; the poems and inks of Wenyuan Pavilion are in the shape of ancient chime; the poems and inks of Wensu Pavilion are fan-shaped.This collection of ink not only depicts Sikuwenge meticulously and faithfully, but also includes poems and essays, which are of historical value to the understanding and research of Sikuwenge and library management. The creation of Jijin ink can be said to be a great pioneering work in the history of ink making. It perfectly combines traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, carving, lacquerware, textile, embroidery, mother-of-pearl, paper paste and other crafts and arts. It has become a comprehensive work of art and is one of the most beautiful types of ink. Ink mold engraving includes line engraving, embossing, and round engraving in terms of techniques, which require fine carving.For example, "Kata [Zhong Zhong] Si Yu" ink mold, it is quite difficult to carve birds, beasts, flowers and insects, figures, landscapes, etc. on a wooden mold surface less than two inches square.Some pictures are as small as beans, but they are engraved with a man's eyebrows, and there is a trace of displeasure, which is amazing.Some ink workers have spent their entire lives carving, and only a few boards of Haoshou are available, which shows the fineness and complexity of the craftsmanship. In the "Hui ink" industry, there were a large number of precious ink molds in the past. There are nearly 2,000 old molds of Hu Kaiwen alone, and there are still some ink molds. These ink molds are also precious arts and crafts and historical relics.