Tao Inkstone originated in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and has not declined to this day. However, some scholars say that the history of Tao Inkstone can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. It was first used as a whetstone and then as an inkstone material. Even in the Song Dynasty when Tao Inkstone was famous, Tao River stone was still widely used as a whetstone. In December 2002, a private collection of Tang Tao River Jidou Inkstone appeared, which proved that the production of Tao River Inkstone was before the Tang Dynasty and had a history of at least 1,300 years. Tao Inkstone has become a treasure of the court room, a treasure of literati, a gift for relatives and friends, and a wonder in the inventory of antiques, with its green stone color, elegant and rare, hard and fine texture, crystal like jade, silent when knocked, water droplets when blown, fast ink release without damage, and long-term ink storage without drying. It is a rare treasure in the palace, a treasure of literati, a good gift for relatives and friends, and a rare treasure in the inventory of antiques, and is famous at home and abroad. For thousands of years, there have been many poems and comments praising Tao Inkstone, which verify the historical status of Tao Inkstone. Huang Shangu, a great calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, commented on Taoshuo: "The green stone of Taozhou contains wind ripples, which can make the pen sharp like an awl." Su Shi's "Washing and sharpening it, it can produce gold and iron. Carving and polishing, it is hard and dense, from Tao and Min to China" praised the smooth texture and elegant color of Tao inkstone. Yuan Haowen, a poet in the Jin Dynasty, wrote a poem: "The county official spent six million yuan a year to get this inkstone to Lintao", which further illustrates the preciousness of Tao inkstone. The cover of "Shuyuan" published in the 14th year of the Japanese Zhaoke even published a photo of the original "Song Taohe Green Stone Inkstone", which shows the profound influence of Tao inkstone abroad. The craftsmanship of Tao inkstone has a history of 1,300 years, and the mining history of Tao inkstone stone mine is nearly a thousand years. The ownership of the mining area has changed hands many times in history. In the sixth year of Xining of Song Shenzong (1064), Wang Shao pacified Xihe, and the east bank of Taohe belonged to the Song Dynasty. Huichuan Tusi Zhao A'gechang led his former U-Tsang tribe to submit to the imperial court. Later, the emperor granted the surname Zhao to the emperor and granted him the title of leader of the Tibetan tribes in Zangbawa on the east bank of the Tao River. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the mining rights of Tao inkstones belonged to Tusi Zhao. There was little stone excavated, and the production of inkstones was relatively small. Inkstones were mainly gifts for Tusi officials to entertain. In the Yuan Dynasty, due to the continuous war, the production of Tao inkstones basically stopped. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, only 100 inkstones were produced each year. In the Ming Dynasty, the excavation and management rights of inkstone stones belonged to Tusi Zhuoni Yang in Taozhou. Tusi Yang of all dynasties strictly managed the mining area. In addition to taking harsh administrative measures, they also spread superstitious ideas through religious institutions such as temples to restrain people. They chiseled a huge 1ye god stele on the rock next to the cave door. Stone buyers must offer a sheep to "1ye" before quarrying, and pray and sacrifice in front of the stele before they can enter the cave to quarry. Otherwise, not only will good stones not be mined, but misfortune will also occur, and the local area will suffer hail disasters. The local people believed this without a doubt and dared not violate it in the slightest. At this stage, the phenomenon of indiscriminate mining of Tao inkstone stones was under control. At that time, Tao inkstone stones were transported out through only three distribution channels: first, the villagers of Laooshi handed over the high-quality stones they mined to the Tusi Yamen to replace part of the taxes and corvée of the year. After receiving the stones, the professional inkstone workers in the Tusi Yamen specially carved tributes and gifts for the Tusi to make friends with dignitaries, relatives, friends, and scholars; second, foreign vendors who sold stones and inkstones tried to ask Tusi Gashu to go directly to Laooshi mining area to purchase stones, and then sold them to inkstone workers in Xincheng and other places to make inkstones; third, local quarry workers picked out the stones they mined each time, and used them as tributes to the Tusi and sales products of stone buyers. The remaining ones with slightly substandard quality and volume were sold cheaply to local inkstone workers to make inkstones. In the late Republic of China, wars continued. As tribute, Tao inkstones had an annual circulation of nearly 1,000 square meters around the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936 AD), more than half of which were tributes and gifts from the Tusi Yamen. The demand for stone materials and the amount of mining also increased accordingly, and the management of the mining area gradually became chaotic, with serious waste of resources. Many medium and low-quality stones could not be comprehensively utilized, and were all abandoned and weathered. Several high-quality ore caves were destroyed and collapsed and could not be quarried. In the early days of the founding of New China, an agricultural cooperative was established in the mining area, and the stone materials were also taken collectively, and the management gradually became stable. In early 1958, the "Tao River Diversion to the Mountain" project started. There were continuous artillery fire all day long, and earth and rocks were flying. The original quarrying caves were also buried by gravel and sand, and the excavation and carving of Tao inkstone stones were almost interrupted. In early 1960, the Tao River Diversion Project was discontinued halfway in the face of severe natural disasters. When people woke up from the frenzy, they faced threats and challenges to their survival. The desire to survive drove the people of Yanxiang to recover the rare treasure Tao inkstone stone from the inconspicuous caves on the cliff. At this stage, the Tao inkstone stone mine was freely mined by people, and the stone was carved by local inkstone workers and exchanged for some grain and flour. At this time, the sales of inkstones were at the lowest level in history. The circulation channels of stone materials were only for Xincheng, Minxian and local inkstone workers. The flow of inkstones also radiated only to the above areas. In early 1964, the old inkstone workers who had lived in Biandu, Dangjiagou and other places for generations also returned to their old business, using the slack season to carve inkstones in the morning and evening. The output of Tao inkstones and the demand for stone materials gradually recovered simultaneously. At the end of 1964, the Gansu Arts and Crafts Society added the Tao inkstone carving business, and organized folk inkstone carving old artists to set up a processing point in Naer Village, and the demand for stone materials soared. Taoyan Township, the place of origin, and its subordinate Naer Brigade took back the management rights of the stone mining area and strictly prohibited private mining. While developing and expanding the 1ya mining area, additional mining sites were opened in Dingga, Shuiquanwan, Qinglingshan, Naer and other places. At that time, production was the top priority and bombing was indiscriminate. Although the mining volume of Taoyan stone reached the highest level in history, it caused a great waste of stone resources. Before 1964, there was no car access to the mining area. The stones purchased by the Provincial Arts and Crafts Factory were carried by manpower to the top of Qingling Mountain, crossed the Tanlongyagou and the Quantangou, and then loaded onto cars and transported to Lanzhou. After several round trips, the stone transporters found the "trick" to directly mine stones at Yanwa Shizui on the top of Qingling Mountain and mix a large amount of surrounding rock and miscellaneous stones into the stones. Since the stone quality of Qingling Mountain is not as good as that of rock, and there are many miscellaneous stones mixed in, the quality of inkstones produced by manufacturers has declined, the sales price has plummeted, the products have been overstocked, and the capital turnover is difficult. The purchase of raw materials was once stopped, and the mining of Tao inkstone stone was depressed again. Since the quarrying boom, the main channels of stone circulation have been blocked, the products are unsalable, and the "Cultural Revolution" began. The main industrial workers of Tao inkstone, individual inkstone workers, stopped their business, and the Tao inkstone carving craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation was almost broken. Since 1983, Zhuoni County and its affiliated Taoyan Township have successively established Tao inkstone craft factories to produce various ethnic handicrafts mainly with inkstones using Tao inkstone stones. In addition, in the villages near Walergou, where the inkstone township is located, the team of individual inkstone workers engaged in Tao inkstone carving has grown rapidly, and the amount of raw materials used has increased significantly, and the production of Tao inkstone stone and inkstones has been unprecedented. 【Characteristics of Tao Inkstone】Tao Inkstone is hard, fine and lustrous, and the ink is fine and shiny; the ink is stored in the inkstone, and the crown is formed into beads, which will not dry up or deteriorate for more than a month; it is moisturizing and good for writing, and it also plays the characteristics of Gansu's "openwork carving", which is exquisite, elegant, beautiful and generous, and has always been appreciated and cherished by Chinese and foreign calligraphers, painters and connoisseurs. Green is the representative color of Tao Inkstone, which has hues such as dark green, emerald green, brilliant green, emerald green, light green and gray green. Dark green also has two concentrations, the deepest is close to black. Among these many Tao stones, the "yellow label green ripple stone" is the most precious. The ancients once praised "How expensive is Tao Inkstone; the yellow label has green waves". There is also Taohe purple stone, among which the dark red one can be compared with diabase. Therefore, the ancients said "A square Tao Inkstone is worth thousands of gold". Zhao Xigu, a famous connoisseur in the Northern Song Dynasty, said in his book "Dongtian Qinglu Collection Ancient Inkstone Identification": "Except for Duan and She stones, only Taohe green stone is the most precious in the north. It is green like blue and smooth like jade. It can produce as much ink as the rocks under Duanxi River. However, the stone is at the bottom of the deep water of the river, not man-made, so it is a priceless treasure." Huang Tingjian, a famous poet and calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem: "Taohe green stone contains wind ripples, which can sharpen the pen like a cone." It can be seen that the quality of Tao inkstone stone is good. The Tao inkstone vein mine is mainly produced in the area of 1 Cliff and Shuiquan Bay on the east bank of Taohe River. Its ore was formed 400 million years ago. Most of the mined veins are surrounded by water on three sides, and many places are still in the state of primitive forest. The area is covered with vegetation, and streams, rivers, and mountain springs are everywhere. The vein ore has been soaked in water for many years and nourished by moist air. Therefore, Taohe inkstone has four characteristics that other inkstone materials cannot match: First, the color is elegant. Green is the representative color of Tao inkstone stone, which has dark green, emerald green, emerald green, emerald green, light green, gray-green and other hues. There is also Taohe purple stone, among which the dark red one can be compared with diabase. Second, it is smooth and delicate. Taohe inkstone material is rich in water and feels smooth, so it is known as the ink that does not dry up even in the hot summer. Third, the structure is tight. The particles of Tao inkstone material are extremely fine, with a particle size of less than 0.01 mm. The dividing point between particles and dust particle size is 0.07 mm, so Tao inkstone particles are finer than ordinary dust. Tao inkstone stone also contains a variety of metal ions. Therefore, Tao inkstone produces ink quickly, and the ink is fine and shiny, with the advantages of not rejecting ink and not stagnating the pen. Fourth, the hardness is moderate. The hardness of Tao inkstone material is 3.54 degrees on the Mohs scale, which is just right as an inkstone material and suitable for carving. The biggest feature of Tao inkstone in carving is that it has a stone cover that is integrated with the overall shape of the inkstone body. This is a carving technique that other famous inkstones such as Duan inkstone and She inkstone do not use. The second is the extensive use of pleasing hollow carving techniques. The most noteworthy thing about Tao inkstone is that it has always insisted on hand-carving, which not only makes each Tao inkstone a unique piece, but also leaves a lot of room for craftsmen to display their skills. The characteristics of Tao inkstone stone lay the foundation for the excellent quality of Tao inkstone. With the efforts of inkstone carving artists, it has all the characteristics of high-quality inkstones, that is, the stone is fine, smooth, ink-producing, ink-absorbing, and does not damage the hair. Tao inkstone is unique with its excellent and colorful stone quality, and has won the praise of experts and scholars at home and abroad with its exquisite carving technology. Tao inkstone is dignified and heavy, simple and elegant, and has a unique style in craftsmanship that is different from other stone inkstones. Filling the lines with appropriate thickness with black is a major feature of Tao inkstone that is different from other stone inkstones. [Crafts] Tao inkstone is a unique craft with exquisite elegance, antique flavor. The production of Tao inkstone needs to go through the processes of cutting, blank making, stone carving, etc. The tools used are knives, saws, hammers, shovels, chisels, iron pens, water sand, etc. The Tao inkstone making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage project in 2008. The exquisite carving craftsmanship of Tao inkstone combines the characteristics of Tao inkstone stone and the hard work of inkstone carving artists. It is a very complicated craft. The inkstone carving craftsmanship is extremely delicate, arduous and meticulous. From the beginning of design to the completion of the process is a one-time process. The inkstone carving skills of the past dynasties are mainly inherited from father to son and passed down from generation to generation. It is difficult to carve a good inkstone without skilled technology. Tao inkstone carving should determine the pattern to be carved according to the natural shape and size of the stone, and then design the structure, style, decoration, etc. of the inkstone, and then apply the knife according to the procedure. First coarse and then fine, from the outside to the inside, meticulously carved. In addition to its use value, Tao inkstone also pays attention to its artistic appreciation value. Therefore, the inkstone workers put their energy into the layout of the pattern to create artistic beauty. The carving materials of Taoyan inkstone carving are extensive, including landscapes, figures, dragons and phoenixes, flowers and birds, fish and insects, etc. The patterns include traditional patterns popular among the Han and Tibetan people and modern patterns. Generally, there are dragon and phoenix pictures, religious ornaments pictures, and homophonic pictures. The carving techniques used in Taoyan inkstone carving are mainly relief carving and openwork carving. Relief carving is to carve a raised object on a plane, and the knife technique is gradually carried out from shallow to deep, making the object produce a lifelike effect. Openwork carving is to hollow out the background part on the basis of relief carving, which is the most distinctive technique in Taoyan carving art. The openwork pattern has a strong sense of reality and three-dimensionality, is full of artistic charm, and also increases the use value. Taohe inkstone carving also uses line carving and round carving, etc. The patterns carved by Taoyan are of various types and in various shapes. Most of the Tao inkstones are hollowed out and carved, with distinct patterns and well-arranged patterns, and have a unique style. In particular, the surface of the inkstone is carved, and the bottom and cover of the inkstone are carved with a combination of relief and line carving, which are more popular. The thousand-year carving history of Tao inkstone will make the art of Tao inkstone more brilliant. Taohe inkstone has a unique shape, that is, most inkstones are in the form of an inkstone hall with a cover (i.e. double inkstone). Its use is that if the ground ink is not used temporarily, the ink will not become thick due to the evaporation of water, which will not make the pen uncomfortable. At the same time, it can prevent the inkstone from falling into dust when it is not used for a long time, which can store ink and protect the inkstone hall. The production process of the inkstone cover is very delicate and sophisticated, requiring the mouth to be tight and seamless, and not loose up and down. The inkstone with a cover is precious to use the same piece of stone. It is particularly rare for the bottom and cover to have the same stone color and stone pattern. It is called the original stone, also called the mother-child stone. The covered Tao inkstone is divided into three parts in terms of structure: ink pool, water pool and pattern carving, etc. Some ink pools have a raised ink grinding platform, which is called the inkstone hall together with the ink pool, that is, the part covered by the inkstone cover; the uncovered single inkstone mainly has a pattern carving part and an ink pool part, and the main body of its carving is the pattern modeling part. The most traditional pattern modeling is the dragon and phoenix pattern widely circulated among the people, mostly hollow hanging carvings, or two dragons playing with pearls, or dragons and phoenixes facing the sun, etc. In addition, ordinary patterns include figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, etc. With the development of the times, the shape of Tao inkstone is no longer just a traditional format, and inkstone artists have also begun to innovate and seek change. The shape of Tao inkstone is very unique, and its shapes mainly include: geometric shapes, which are various geometric shapes made artificially according to certain size ratios, such as squares, circles, diamonds, etc.; random shapes, which are based on the shape of the original stone, and are basically kept in the shape of the original stone after carving; natural shapes, which use the natural shape given by nature, without carving around, and retain the general shape of the original stone. Various patterns, whether anthropomorphic, bird-like, beast-like, or mountain-like, are all lifelike and vivid. These exquisite Tao inkstones are exported to Japan, Southeast Asia and other places, and are highly acclaimed treasures in the international market. [Stone quality] The stone quality of Tao inkstone is fine, smooth and solid. Ink splashing is like oil without damaging the brush. Writing is fluent and brilliant. The preciousness of Tao inkstone lies in its stone quality. Its green stone quality is the most unique feature of Tao inkstone, which makes Tao inkstone have the reputation of "inkstone from foreign lands, dream of all living beings", so ancient skilled craftsmen often engraved figures and landscapes on it. Tao inkstone shows the artistic characteristics of jadeite color, which can be called a treasure of the study. Song Dynasty calligrapher Mi Fu wrote "History of Inkstone": "Tongyuanjun (formerly known as Longxi County, Taohe River Basin belongs to this) stone inkstone, the stone texture is rough and can be sharpened, the green color is like court clothes, and the deep one is also lovely." Duck head green, also known as "green ripple stone", is green in color, with wavy lines, hard and fine stone, and as bright as jade. It is the best Tao stone. If there are yellow traces mixed in the green lines, it is more precious. Parrot green is dark green in color, fine and smooth in stone, and those with dark "ink spots" are very popular. Willow leaf green is green with cinnabar spots and hard in stone. Light green Tao stone has the characteristic of slow water seepage. Tao inkstones made of Taohe stone have the characteristics of fast ink release, fine ink grinding, and no damage to the brush. The preciousness of Tao inkstones is not only due to their fine carvings and various shapes, but also because of their excellent stone quality. Tao inkstones are moist, so you can write with ink by blowing or beading. The ground ink is stored in the inkstone, and it will not dry up or deteriorate after months. There was a passage that evaluated the quality of Tao inkstone: The best quality Tao inkstone has a clear and sonorous sound when knocked, and it is reluctant to let go when grinding ink with water, but it feels delicate and does not hear the grinding sound. As an inkstone stone, it can be called "moral integrity" if its texture is fine and dense, and it can be called "talent" if it releases ink quickly without damaging the brush tip; it can be called "character" if it is moist and can store ink without drying; it can be called "elegant" if it is green and yellow, and its color is elegant and beautiful, which can be called "appearance". Therefore, Tao inkstone is unparalleled in the inkstone forest in terms of "morality, talent, quality, and appearance". [Ancient Evaluation] Zhao Xigu of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote in "Dongtian Qinglu Collection": "Except for the two stones of Duan and She, only the green stone of Tao River is the most valuable in the north. It is as green as blue and as smooth as jade, and it can produce as much ink as the rocks under Duan Creek... It is a priceless treasure. According to the legend of the elders, although we know that there is a Tao inkstone, we have never seen one. Nowadays, most of the green stones named Tao are the surface of Li stone, or the mountain valley stone of Changsha. Li stone is smooth and shiny, and cannot absorb ink, so it can be used as a whetstone." Su Dongpo of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote in "Inscription on the Tao River Stone Inkstone Given by Lu Zhi" "Wash it and sharpen it, and it will produce gold and iron. Carve it and it will be deep, hard and dense. In the year of Bingyin, the Big Dipper was in the north and south. The one who gave it to me was Huang Luzhi." In the long poem "Presented to Dai Siliang" by Chao Buzhi of the Northern Song Dynasty, it is written: "Dongpo likes to make good whetstones, and the duck-green stone from Tao is as hard as copper." "I asked you to sharpen it and make an inkstone. I heard that you once advised me to seek military merit." There is a poem in "Collected Works of Mr. Huang of Yuzhang" by Huang Tingjian of the Northern Song Dynasty: "I have heard for a long time that the stone of Min (or Minyou) is duck-head green, and can be used to sharpen the dragon-patterned knife of Guixi. Don't despise the civil officials for not knowing martial arts, you must try the rabbit hair in the frosty autumn." Mi Fu of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote in "History of Inkstones": "The Tongyuan Army looked for stone inkstones. The stone was rough and could be sharpened. The green color was like court clothes. The darker ones were also lovely. After a long time, there would be ink spots between the water waves. The locals called it "湔墨" (湔 is splashed). There were purple stones, which were very wonderful. When examined, they were like inkstones, and those that were spread would seep ink. The ones without luster were very good. They were on the green stone of Tao River. They were found in China since the court opened the Xi River. The reddish purple stone was the color of rose jade. The ink that was released from the inkstone was better than the green one, and it was not even and clean. There was also ink. The soldiers used it to sharpen their knives. , and the iron color is bright and rich, it can also be used to make inkstones, but it is hard and does not release ink. "Inkstone Forest Collection" by Chao Wujiu of the Northern Song Dynasty has a poem and inscription: "The stones of Taohe River are as precious as the jade of Zhao, and the duck heads of Han River are so colorful. The gift is not despised, but also includes me, and the carving of Wuyan is famous in the country." The inscription says: "The cliffs of Tao River and the valleys of Duan are not mountain stones, but water jade. You can't have both, one can be enough to warm. But it is lovely, with eyes like a thrush, how can it be replaced by a green duck head." "Poem of Washing Inkstone" by Hong Zikui of the Southern Song Dynasty: Since washing Taozhou green, I have casually written red persimmon leaves. A dusty water moon, a hundred thoughts of old frost wind. The dull chrysanthemum is still sad buds, and the upside-down peach is already blooming. The main stream changes thousands of times, who is the real master of Hongmeng. There is a line in Lu You's "Jiannan Poetry Draft" in the Southern Song Dynasty: "The jade dust and famous paper come to wash the brocade, and the wind ripples and strange stones come out of Lintao." The original note after the poem says: "Zhang Jiliang sent Tao inkstone, and He Yuanli sent Shu paper." There is a line in Fan Dacheng's "Shihu Chaoxia Stone" in the Southern Song Dynasty: "Duanxi is purple and rich, and Taohe is green and deep." Lei Yuan of the Jin Dynasty wrote in "Taoshi Inkstone Poem": "The deep tiara bag is also Cangzhou, and the stone is melting in spring and the green is about to flow. What's the use of retreating to form a hill? I just want to sharpen the Wu hook. [Note] The author Lei Yuan, whose name is Xiyan, was a native of Hunyuan in the Jin Dynasty and served as a Hanlin editor. Ti is orange-red. Yuan Haowen of the Jin Dynasty wrote in "Fuze People Guo Tangchen's Collection of Shandi Taoshi Inkstone": "I heard that parrots have been fossilized, and the cormorants can be sharp knives. The county officials spent six million yuan a year to get this inkstone to Lintao. The dark cloud skin is an inch of the world, and the jade water goes straight up to the literary star. Who can write in Jiangxia now? Three coins are useless, try chicken feathers. The original note under the title says: "There is an inscription on the inkstone: 'General Wang opened Lintao for the country, and the officials gave gifts every year. The one who can meet is 600 million. The one who can use it in China is this inkstone material.' The inkstone is made of jade." Feng Yandeng of the Jin Dynasty wrote in "Taoshi Inkstone": "I returned with a stone in front of Yingwu Island, and it still has a clear glow after being carved. No one came to the Yun window all day, and I sat and watched the Yuanyun spit out the green hills." The Tao inkstone with the theme of "Journey to the West" carefully designed by Minxian for 3 years attracted the attention of exhibitors at this year's Lanzhou Fair. This Taohe green stone inkstone is 1.4 meters long, 1.1 meters wide and nearly 0.5 meters high. Using full three-dimensional carving technology, it shaped the scene in "Journey to the West" where Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng escorted the Tang monk Xuanzang to the West to obtain scriptures.