Pic story of inheritor of Yellow River Chengni inkstone in Henan

You Xiaoxiao (L) and her father walk to collect the mud at the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Jingyi)

The Yellow River Chengni inkstone, with a history of more than 1,000 years, was listed as a Henan provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2007. Among the "four famous inkstones" in China, only Chengni inkstone is made of fine mud.

The raw material of the Chengni inkstone is sediment from the Yellow River. It takes nearly 60 processes, such as mud selection, mud refining, design, blank-making, carving and roasting, to make one inkstone.

You Xiaoxiao, a municipal-level inheritor of Yellow River Chengni inkstone in Xin'an County, passed on the family tradition of making inkstones after graduating from college.

Speaking of the future, You said that she would bring her understanding into the design as the tradition could only flourish with the passion of the younger generation.

You Xiaoxiao carves on an inkstone blank at a studio in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao teaches students to shape the mud at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao carves on an inkstone blank at a studio in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao (L) and her father check the mud at the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao teaches a student to make Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao shows a Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao views a Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

You Xiaoxiao kneads the mud in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao teaches students to make Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao (R) and her father pose for a photo at the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

This aerial photo taken on Oct. 7, 2023 shows the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao shows how to cut the mud at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao teaches students to make Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Jingyi)

You Xiaoxiao kneads the mud in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Jingyi)

This aerial photo taken on Oct. 7, 2023 shows You Xiaoxiao and her father collecting the mud at the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao processes the mud for inkstone making in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao filters the mud in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao (L) and her father talk at a studio in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao teaches students to make Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

You Xiaoxiao blows the dust off an inkstone blank in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Min, father of You Xiaoxiao, checks the mud at the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Jingyi)

You Xiaoxiao drafts an inkstone design at a studio in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

You Xiaoxiao teaches students to make Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

You Xiaoxiao teaches students to make Chengni inkstone at a Chengni inkstone art museum in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

You Xiaoxiao carves on an inkstone blank in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

You Min, father of You Xiaoxiao, collects the mud at the Luoyang section of Yellow River, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)