Xuan Writing Brush:A Carrier That Passes on Chinese Culture

Mo Tingting

The writing brush， among various tools of calligraphy， is unique to China. In ancient times， the writing brush was an indispensable tool in the study room of Chinese people， serving as one of the Four Treasures of the Study （writing brush， ink stick， ink slab and paper）. Without the writing brush， Chinese painting and calligraphy could not have achieved such distinct features， and thus would not have enjoyed such great success around the world. And Xuan Writing Brush is one of the most famous types in China.

Fleeting time of Xuan Writing Brush

Writing brush is invented in China and the traces of the writing brush were early discovered on the jades of the Shang Dynasty （1600 BC-1046 BC）. In the Han Dynasty （202 BC-220 AD）， people brought a new chance for improving writing brush. Firstly， it created the decoration craft of engraving and inlaying on the pen-holder. Secondly， some writings on the production of writing brush appeared， such as the first monograph on the selection， production and function of writing brush written by Cai Yong （133-192） in the Eastern Han Dynasty （25-220）. Thirdly， the special form of “Hairpin White Pen” appeared. Officials in the Han Dynasty often sharpened the end of the writing brush and stuck it in their hair or hat for their convenience. Worshipers also often put pen on their heads to show respect.

With the development of social economy and culture， craftsmanship is continually improving， and several types of writing brushes are on the rise. A writing brush can be made of goat hair， wolf hair， rabbit hair， assorted hairs and so forth. The artistry of different types of Chinese calligraphy scripts as well as painting with traditional Chinese ink strokes require a variety of writing brushes. There are four types of famous writing brushes in China， including Hu Writing Brush produced in Huzhou City， Zhejiang Province， Xuan Writing Brush， Daiyuexuan Writing Brush named after a famous craftman Dai Yuexuan， and Houdian Writing Brush produced in Houdian Village， Hebei Province.

Xuan Writing Brushes are often mentioned in China. These kinds of writing brushes are normally made in Jing County of Anhui Province. In ancient times， Jing County was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture， so its name bears the character “Xuan”. Classic scholars， governmental officials， calligraphists and painters of the Jin Dynasty （256-420） were especially fond of the Xuan Writing Brush. During the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） Dynasties， Xuanzhou became a manufacturing center for writing brush. At that time， folk artisans made a breakthrough in craftsmanship in selecting materials and polishing the shaft. And Xuan Writing Brushes were sent as tribute to emperors and royal courts since the Tang Dynasty （618-907）.

A Xuan Writing Brush with ingenuity

Writing brushes can be divided into two parts： head and stalk. Materials for the head part of writing brushes include goat hair， yellow weasel hair， black rabbit hair， pig hair， mouse mustache， hairs of buffalos tail， and while exotic ones can be made from tiger， fowl， deer and even human hair （from the first haircut a baby gets， which is said to bring good fortune while taking the imperial examinations）. Stalks of Chinese writing brushes usually are made of bamboo， wood， lacquer and porcelain， as well as some precious materials， including mother-of-pearl inlays， ivory and jade.

The most important element for a writing brush is the hair. Xuan Writing Brush is made with very strictly controlled raw materials that are individually selected. The Xuan Writing Brushes， made elaborately of brownish rabbit hair， are considered to be the best and come at a very high price. The best rabbit hair is collected from September to January when the hair is thick while not too hard nor too soft. In spring and summer， rabbit hairs are too soft to be used to make a writing brush. The best rabbit hair is from the southeast of Xuan County， 15 km from the city centre.

Like all Chinese writing brushes， Xuan Writing Brushes feature a fine point and a thick middle section which allows artists to produce a wide variety of strokes and textures from the same writing brush. Writing brushes made in Xuanzhou are durable， offering a good combination of flexibility and stiffness， the ability to absorb more ink than others， and with little likelihood that the hair will out.

Making Xuan Writing Brushes is a lot of hard work and does not make much money. There are over 200 steps in the process of making a Xuan Writing Brush and all the steps have to be done by hand. Five main procedures are followed strictly to produce the Xuan Writing Brush correctly： washing and dying of the hair， carving characters on the shafts， packaging， and miscellaneous processes. Each of the procedures contains about a dozen processes before a uniquely shaped writing brush with a special specification is made for different purposes. Because of this， very few young people would like to learn this skill now.

Master Xu from Anhui Province has been making Xuan Writing Brushes since 1976 and has made over one million writing brushes since then. He is very proud of making writing brushes because the writing brushes facilitate peoples creativity and have been used by so many artists to produce so much artwork. He said when his father managed the workshop， it was capable of producing more than 200 varieties of writing brushes with an annual output of hundreds of thousands in its heyday. Moreover， the products were even exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

Tips

How to select a perfect Xuan Writing Brush：

Sharp： The writing brush tip should have the appearance of a sharp point， so the writing brush can be used to do detailed drawing and writing.

Neat： When you open the writing brush hairs， all the hairs should make a neat edge. If the hairs are neat， the writing brush can spread ink on the paper evenly.

Round： The end of the writing brush body should be round cylinder and the hairs should be packed inside the penholder tightly and evenly， so that there is enough tension to hold shape when writing.

Flexible： The tip of the writing brush should be flexible so that the writing can be smooth and fluid， while the writing brush retains enough stiffness to be able to control it.