Guozhou Chengni Inkstone [Henan Sanmenxia Specialty]

Among the four famous inkstones, Duan inkstone, She inkstone, and Tao inkstone are all made of stone, but Chengni inkstone uses river mud: although made of mud, the inkstone is as hard as stone, with a moist color, crystal clear, and has the reputation of "resembling pottery but not pottery, resembling jade but not jade". At the Guozhou Chengni Inkstone Art Museum in Xin'an County, there are two inkstones, both of which are eel yellow in color, with dense and solid texture, moist like jade, simple and elegant in shape, and lifelike in carving. Among them, there are auspicious clouds and waves carved around the inkstone of "Flying Dragon", and a submerged dragon carved on the left side of the inkstone; The "Tenglong" inkstone is shaped like a "music box", with a Tenglong carved on the inkstone cover and a Ruyi pattern carved around it. The dragon is the totem of the Chinese nation, and the creative idea behind the design of these two Guozhou Chengni inkstones is: China is prosperous and strong, dancing in the east of the world; The Chinese people are happy and harmonious

Xin'an is under the jurisdiction of ancient Guozhou, and there have been sporadic folk productions. Li Zhongxian's great grandfather, Li Tingxuan, apprenticed to Wang Yurui, a skilled inkstone maker from Mazhai Village, Zhangcun Yuan, Shaanxi County, under the manufacturing bureau of the late Qing Dynasty for ten years before returning to his hometown to pass on his son Li Hu. Li Hu then passed on his son Li Tianxiang, and finally to Li Dexi. In the 1980s, it was passed down to the fifth generation descendant Li Zhongxian. Mr. Li Zhongxian inherited and innovated on the basis of his predecessors' inkstone making, retaining the traditional process and craftsmanship of Chengni inkstone while integrating modern science and technology, forming a unique set of inkstone making techniques. The Xin'an Guozhou Chengni inkstone is solid and ancient, with different production methods and rich connotations, and is appreciated by both the refined and the popular. Guozhou Chengni inkstones are all handmade, fumigated with medicine, reborn in the fire, kiln transformed into Baise, and fired with precious colors such as eel yellow, cinnabar red, sandalwood purple, crab shell green, which are rare in ancient Chengni inkstones. The products have repeatedly won gold medals in various competitions. After decades of unremitting efforts, Xin'an County, Luoyang City, Henan Province was rated as the "hometown of Chinese Chengni inkstone" by the China Arts and Crafts Association in September 2003. The ancient production process of Chengni inkstone has achieved unprecedented development, and Li Zhongxian's story of Chengni inkstone has also been reported in four special films by CCTV. In 2002, the Henan Arts and Crafts Association awarded Li Zhongxian the title of "Master of Arts and Crafts". In 2005, the Central Propaganda Department, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and China Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood awarded him the only national level inheritor title for Chengni inkstones in China. Guozhou Chengni Inkstone was once presented as a gift to party and state leaders by the People's Government of Luoyang City, and received unanimous praise. In 2006, the manufacturing process of Xin'an Guozhou Chengni inkstone was included in the protection list of intangible cultural heritage projects in Henan Province. Recently, Xin'an Guozhou Chengni Inkstone was designated as a product for the China 2009 World Postal Exhibition