Four treasures in the study room (5)

（People's Daily Online）  08:19, April 09, 2013  

Edited and translated by Li Xiang, People's Daily Online

Four treasures in the study room is a term used to denote the brush, ink, paper and ink stone. The term originated in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Historically, the items referred to by "four treasures" changed frequently. During the Southern Tang Dynasties, "four treasures of the study" referred specifically to Zhuge brush, Huizhou Li Tinggui ink, the paper from Chengxin court, and the ink stone from Wuyuan, the origin of Shezhou House, which is now part of Jiangxi.

Ever since the Song Dynasty, the four treasures were referred to by lake brush from Huzhou; Hui ink from Huizhou, now Shexian in Anhui; rice paper made in Jing county, Anhui province; Duan Ink stone produced in Duanzhou, now known as Zhaoqing in Guangdong province and She Ink stone produced in Shexian in Anhui province.