Craftsmanship of Hui Inksticks on display in Shanghai

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Inksticks, also known as ink cakes, are a kind of solid ink traditionally used in Chinese calligraphy and brush painting. Along with their practical use, making inksticks is also a type of art.

Among traditional Chinese ink cakes, Hui Inksticks is considered the most unique. And the newly renovated Xuhui Art Gallery in downtown Shanghai is displaying their beauty and craftsmanship from June 6 to September 22 to the public for free.

From relics made by ancient craftsmen from the Qing Dynasty to new works crafted by modern artists, a range of art pieces is on display at the gallery. The exhibition features Hui Inksticks and demonstrates the crafting process and major ingredients used in manufacturing them, such as high-quality pine soot and glue. It's dedicated to this year's China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on June 8.

The ink cakes on display at Xuhui Art Gallery, Shanghai /CGTN Photo

Curator Tang Liqing said: "We hope, through this exhibition, visitors can realize the dedication of the artists in ancient times, and look back on what was made in the past and forward to what China can create today. What can we learn from our ancestors? What can we do to carry on this tradition and even create something new?"

Crafted in the cities of Huangshan and Xuancheng in east China's Anhui Province, Hui inksticks, with a history of over 1,000 years, are included among the first group of items on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.