The scene of the opening ceremony of the 12th Huzhou Writing Brush Culture Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The 12th Huzhou Writing Brush Culture Festival announced its opening in Huzhou, Zhejiang on Friday, showcasing the unique cultural charm of the medium.
The writing brush produced in Huzhou, along with Huimo (rice paper), and the Duan inkstone, are collectively known as the "Four Treasures of the Study". The Huzhou brush originated from Shanlian town in Nanxun district of Huzhou city. The production process involves over 120 steps, earning praise such as "the brush tip craftsmanship is unparalleled, and the writing brush made of brownish rabbit hair is as precious as gold".
At the national-level intangible cultural heritage productive protection base, Shanlian Huzhou Writing Brush Factory, brush artisan Wang Xiaohua has deeply felt the changes over the years, saying: "Building upon the protection and inheritance of traditional craftsmanship, they have trained a group of young people through mentorship, opened various research courses, and introduced brush-making techniques into local primary and secondary school classrooms."
According to the latest data provided by the Huzhou Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, currently, Huzhou writing brushes hold approximately 30% of the national market share, with a market share of about 60% in the high-end writing brush market.
In recent years, Huzhou has been vigorously promoting integrated development in areas such as "Brush + Digital", "Brush + Cultural Tourism" and "Brush + Cultural Innovation". The city has enacted the Regulations on the Protection and Development of Huzhou Writing Brushes, established high-standard brush-themed towns, brush workshops, and other public service platforms, and formulated local brush standards.
Walking through the streets of Huzhou, one will often come across quaint brush shops. Established in 1741 in Wang Yi Pin Zhai brush shop on Aishan street, Wuxing district, the shop offers over 500 styles of Huzhou writing brushes, showcasing a wide variety of products. Shop owner Xu Jianfeng introduced that in recent years, traditional Huzhou brush brands have been trying to innovate, entering the view of young people through brand collaborations and cross-border partnerships, and even exporting to multiple countries such as Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
