A worker demonstrates the smoke-curing process at a workshop in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 15, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
Inkstick is widely used in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Produced in solid form rather than liquid, it lasts for generations without drying out. Along with ink brush, inkstone and paper, inkstick is one of the "Four Treasures of Study" in traditional Chinese culture. The Huizhou inkstick is a highly regarded inkstick and gets its name from the historical Huizhou region, largely in what is now Anhui Province. Due to the complexity of its making and the exquisite decorations applied to it, the Huizhou inkstick is often considered a piece of art itself.
Photo shows soot-making process, the main ingredient in the making of inksticks, at a workshop in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, May 21, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
A worker makes soots at a workshop in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 15, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
A worker hammers unfinished inksticks at a workshop of Huizhou inkstick in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 15, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
A worker checks air-cured Huizhou inksticks at a workshop in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, May 21, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
Photo shows inksticks being dried at a workshop in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 15, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
A worker outlines design in gold on Huizhou inksticks at a workshop in Shexian County, east China's Anhui Province, May 21, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
