In the process of learning Chinese calligraphy and painting, Chinese ink should not be ignored, for it has a much deeper cultural significance than most outsiders would at first appreciate. Go on reading and you will know something interesting of Chinese ink.
In the process of learning Chinese calligraphy and painting, Chinese ink should not be ignored, for it has a much deeper cultural significance than most outsiders would at first appreciate. Go on reading and you will know something interesting of Chinese ink.
Definition of Chinese ink
The character in Chinese for ink, "mo", is a combination of two characters, "hei" or black, and "t'u" which means earth. Ink held a fascination for Chinese scholars and there are a plethora of books and treatises on the subject. Some of the classics written over the ages are the "Mo Ch'ing", which translates as the Ink Classic, which was written in the twelfth century by Chao Kuan-chih.
The chief ingredients of high quality ink according to these works are lampblack and glue. The finest lampblack is supposed to come from the burning of vegetable oils. In ancient times the best soot was made from burning of specially selected pines in an ink furnace that had inverted pottery jars over the smoke. These jars trapped the soot which was then removed with feather brushes. The soot was then mixed with glue, which could be made from horn or animal hides. According to the ink classic, the glue made from the horns of young deer was of the highest quality because of its purity. Good ink depended upon good glue, which gives the ink texture and life. 
Because of the laborious process noted above, ink was difficult to make and because of this very expensive. In the tenth century, Li' Ting-kuei of Huichou in Anwei province revolutionized the ink making process so that ink could be made from the soot or lamp black from an oil lamp.
Unique feature of Chinese ink
Chinese ink differs significantly from western ink in composition and also in it ability to stand the tests of time. It does not fade to the extent that western ink does when exposed to light and ancient pictures and calligraphy still retain their resilience after centuries of display.
Chinese ink in ancient times was sold in solid ink sticks or ink cakes, which were most frequently round or rectangular but also often shaped like a canoe. The ink was then ground on an ink stone and mixed with water for use. Ancient or antique ink sticks are a collector's item and are in demand by collectors and fetch high prices at auction.