Zhou Meihong, born in 1957, began working at the Hukaiwen Hui Inkstick Factory in Shexian County, Anhui Province at the age of 22. He was promoted to salesman and eventually became the head of the factory. Zhou successfully compiled the complete process and traditional formulas of Hui ink, and made bold innovations to improve production techniques. In 2007, Zhou was listed among the first inheritors of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The writing brush, inkstick, paper and inkstone are collectively known as “the four treasures of study” in China. The Hui inkstick is rated on the top tier. With a history of over 1,300 years, Hui ink was named after its origin, Huizhou Prefecture (now Huangshan City of Anhui Province). It has been a favorite of generations of calligraphers and painters for its sophistication, quality, elegant shape and enduring color. As one of the most iconic pieces of Chinese culture, Hui ink played a key role in the development of Chinese civilization.
“I am not a master!” declared Zhou upon seeing us, in a hoarse voice due to a larynx operation, but his tone was serious. His straightforwardness piqued our interest in this national heritage inheritor.
Taking Father’s Job
The Hukaiwen Hui Inkstick Factory is located in the Shexian County seat, about 20 km northwest of Huangshan City. Within an ordinary compound are several two-story grey workshops, commonly seen in the 1970s. Zhou has been working there for 34 years, and is familiar with every corner.
Zhou’s grandfather and father also made a living in the trade. “When I was little, my father worked at this factory,” he recalled. “My elder sister lived with my father, and my mother stayed in the countryside in Jixi County, raising me and my little brother. I was not admitted by college, so when I needed a job, it was a natural choice to take over my father’s job in the factory when he retired in the late 1970s.”
Zhou emphasized that he came to the factory just for a job, without grand goals. He seemed to avoid sensationalism, just as he denied being a master.
“The craft of ink making is closely related to culture, but the workers are by no means scholars,” he explained. “When I graduated from high school and came to the factory, I was the most educated person here. Making ink is dirty, tiring work. What’s more, it’s boring and tedious. Repetition day after day. Even today, well-educated young people couldn’t imagine working here.”
Due to his education and forward thinking, Zhou was appointed secretary of the Youth League Branch, director of production, director of sales, deputy manager and manager in 1992. “The leader trusted me and appointed me manager, because I was fair to workers. I was also ambitious about the future of the factory,” Zhou said.
Technique Archive
“As a manager, it was my responsibility to optimize the factory’s operation.” The first thing Zhou aimed to do was archive its history of inkstick making.
Techniques for inkstick making were passed down from generation to generation, mostly within families, so they vary widely. The Hukaiwen Hui Inkstick Factory was formerly a state and private joint venture. Each master had his own techniques and passed them on to proteges. Every worker only knew his own methods, and the factory never recorded its production techniques.
“I wanted to record every procedure and document all the crafts and techniques,” said Zhou, “I am the manager, so I should know every process and take responsibility for the products. What’s more, the factory was owned by the state at that time. If I was transferred to another place, the new manager could make products according to files.”
Zhou informed the employees about his ideas. “Chinese workers are the best,” he smiled. “You explain the idea clearly, and how to pass it down to the next generation, and you can be sure they will do it.” The workers all documented their techniques and turned them over to Zhou.
Who keeps the technique data? The one who holds the information masters the traditional crafts. “The files don’t belong to any particular person,” Zhou explained. “They belong to the factory. Now, they are kept in the factory, and we have special technicians responsible for preparing materials according to the formulas. We always talk about heritage, but what is heritage? It’s not inherited from father to son, but by society as a whole, from one generation to the next. So, I recorded all techniques and formulas in the files. No matter who makes inksticks in the future, he can make them the same as today. This is the real inheritance.”
“I am definitely not the best inkstick maker. As with other crafts, the longer you make it, the better you become at it. So the real masters are those making ink every day,” Zhou remarked humbly. “Since I later focused on management, I know every process in the factory. I can tell if an inkstick is good or bad just by touching it.”
This is the reason Zhou claims not to be a master. Though he is not the “best,” Zhou collected and recorded every formula and process of the ancient inkstick-making craft, enabling future generations to inherit the traditional trade. In this regard, his contributions are much greater than making ink sticks himself – Zhou is worthy of being dubbed a master.
Open up the Market
In the 1980s, China saw great demand from the Japanese market for China’s “four treasures,” which boosted development of the inkstick factory. At that time, Zhou was in charge of marketing. He still lights up with excitement when talking about that period. “Hui inksticks were very popular in Japan, and most of our products were shipped there.”
But some issues proved thorny: Zhou couldn’t price his products. “At that time, we exported through foreign trade companies,” Zhou recalled. “Our products sold well, but most of the profits ended up in the hands of these trade agencies and Japanese retailers, leaving us only a marginal profit. For example, a set of Hui inksticks could sell for US $2000 (about RMB 18,000 then), but the factory received only RMB 360. When I became manager in 1992, I was only 35 years old and very bold. I was committed to changing the situation.”
Zhou printed business cards and gave them to Japanese clients directly. He also traveled to Japan in search of my biggest successes were saving every workshop, paying off debts, and keeping my workers, including some with disabilities,” Zhou says. Along with the fast development of the Chinese economy, the domestic market gradually expanded. “Now demand for the ‘four treasures’ is much greater since Chinese livelihoods have improved and people are better educated, not to mention collection and investment fever.”
“Grassroots Growth, Temple Death”
The market is better and sales good, but Zhou is not so satisfied. In contrast, he felt quite worried. “For intangible cultural heritage like Hui ink, the key is sustainable development,” Zhou asserts. “We are a trade, but can’t be an industry with mass production.” Zhou’s reasoning is simple: limited raw materials. Apart from pine tree soot which is made by burning pine wood, precious Chinese medicines like musk and pearls are also indispensable, which greatly influence quantity and quality. “If all the materials are used up, what will our offspring do?”
The other bottleneck is related to labor and craftsmen. Young people don’t want to engage in the trade. Now, the factory cooperates with Xingzhi Middle School, a vocational school in Shexian County, to attract more students to inkstick making.
“What’s the worst situation for intangible cultural heritage?” Zhou asks. “Growing in grassroots and dying in temples.” Most intangible cultural heritage, passed down across generations, is considered folk wisdom. “Today many people only pay attention to museums. If Hui inksticks are found in museums in 50 or 100 years, people will introduce them as made by Zhou Meihong. I’ll not be happy with that. I don’t regard myself a master. I am only a bridge, passing on the skills. I don’t want to place them in a coffin, I will pass them on to society.”
Zhou is planning to build a living museum, in which visitors can see all process firsthand, learn the skills and experience the joy of inkstick making.
“Today, people are well-educated – many are learning painting and calligraphy,” Zhou adds. “If Hui inksticks remain a useful tool, the trade will endure for centuries. This is the ideal situation.”
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