In the fragrance of ancient ink, reread Cao Sugong's literary tradition and Shanghai style imprint

These days, on the second floor of Shanghai Ink and Calligraphy Museum on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai, the "Love for Ziyuguang·Cao Sugong's Ink Collection Exhibition in Mohailou" is on display. The neatly displayed exhibits in the display cabinets are full of ancient ink fragrance and dazzling. The exhibition is based on Cao Sugong's classic ink products and historical documents, and counts Cao Sugong's calligraphy treasures from four aspects: "tracing back to the past", "recording history", "appreciating treasures" and "classic evidence", and traces back its development process.

Cao Sugong, the leader of the "Four Masters" of Huizhou Ink in the Qing Dynasty, is also known as the name of his ink-making family, ink and trademark. He is one of the oldest and most famous time-honored brands in the history of Chinese ink-making. In 1864, Cao Sugong opened a shop in Shanghai to sell ink, and then set up a factory to produce it. "Huizhou Ink" has the mark of Shanghai style.

2024 marks the 160th anniversary of Cao Sugong’s entry into Shanghai. The Paper reported that the old site of the Cao Sugong ink workshop in Tiandeng Lane was included in the scope of urban renewal, which attracted widespread attention from the cultural community. This also touched Wang Yi, an ancient ink collector, and prompted him to sort out and display hundreds of Cao Sugong ink products in his collection, which led to this exhibition at the Shanghai Ink and Paper Museum. “Cao Sugong needs to be mentioned more than once and introduced to the public so that more people can know Cao Sugong and the cultural heritage behind it,” Wang Yi said.

Exhibition View

Wang Yi is currently a member of the Shanghai Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee and a research curator at the Shanghai History Museum. As a well-known ancient ink collector in Shanghai, he has been collecting and researching ancient ink for more than 40 years and has collected as many as 2,000 ingots of ancient ink. "I have been involved in ancient ink collection for more than 40 years. Fortunately, I have collected representative ink products and related literature materials from the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty to the period after Cao Sugong moved to Shanghai in the late Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China and even the modern times. Through these objects, we can connect the history of Cao Sugong's ink making and relive the glory of the Shanghai-style Hui ink he created."

Cao Sugong was founded in the sixth year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, with a history of more than 350 years. It is said that when Emperor Kangxi was on a tour in the south, Cao Sugong presented the ink of "Huangshan Map" to the emperor, which was highly appreciated and given the name "Zi Yuguang". As a result, the reputation of the ink shop was greatly boosted. According to Wang Yi, among the more than 150 exhibits on display in this exhibition, a batch of ink products from the early days of Cao Sugong's business are particularly precious, and also witness the glory of Cao Sugong as an imperial tribute ink. As a famous work bestowed by Emperor Kangxi, "Zi Yuguang" has been innovated from generation to generation. This time, the exhibition includes half-moon version, single dragon version, double dragon version, auspicious cloud version, Lingsu version, etc. The name of Wei Luhuan Ink is taken from the famous line of Liu Zongyuan's poem praising Han Yu. The ink surface is engraved with the year: "Kangxi Dingwei (1667)", which means the first year of the establishment of the ink shop. Qianqiuguang Ink Style Washing Gold is the same as the treasures collected by the Palace Museum. Tianchen is the famous ink created by Cao Sugong, which was inherited from Wu Shuda, a famous ink artist in the Ming Dynasty; Tianrui is the ink created by Cao Sugong himself to surpass Tianchen. There are also Feiyan and Ziying inks made in the Wuchen year of Kangxi (1688).

Ink ingot "Purple Jade Light"

Ink set "Wei Lu Huan" (part)

Ink ingot "A Thousand Years of Light"

Ink ingot "Tianchen"

Ink stick "Non-smoke"

Ink stick "Ziying"

A yellowed copy of Cao's Ink Forest in the display cabinet is a valuable and important document that traces the history of Cao's ink. According to Wang Yi, Cao's Ink Forest is a classic book of ink collection compiled by Cao Sugong and his grandsons Dingyuan and Linyuan. It has been supplemented by later generations, but most of the pages of this book are missing. The ink collection in front of him was passed down from Zhang Xiebo and Yin Runsheng, two collectors, to his own hands.

Exhibition view: Cao's Ink Forest

As a time-honored Chinese brand, Cao Sugong Ink Shop not only has a long history and excellent craftsmanship in the production of Huizhou ink, but also occupies an important position in Shanghai culture. In 1864, Cao Duanyou, the ninth-generation grandson of the Cao family, brought more than 10,000 ink molds accumulated over generations from Shezhou to Suzhou and finally settled in Shanghai. Cao's descendants worked hard to develop, and the ink shop became one of the famous shops of the four treasures of the study in Shanghai. Since then, "Huizhou ink" has also been marked by the Shanghai style.

The exhibition site: Ink painting of "Imperial Poetry on Farming and Weaving" (part)

"After Cao Sugong moved to Shanghai, he created the glory of Shanghai-style Hui ink and promoted the development of Shanghai-style calligraphy and painting. At that time, many Shanghai-style calligraphers and painters used Cao Sugong ink in their works, and they also participated in the production of ink sticks. For example, Qian Huian, Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Wang Yiting and many other calligraphers and painters made drawings for Cao Sugong's ink making, which continuously improved the artistic level of ink making."

Wang Yi said that it is precisely because Shanghai is a metropolis with prosperous commerce and a large number of literati and merchants that it provides fertile soil for the development of Cao Sugong's ink industry; and Cao Sugong's ink making is not conservative. In addition to inheriting traditional ink making techniques, it also constantly innovates in combination with urban characteristics. Therefore, the reputation of Haipai Hui ink was immediately established, and it was able to gain a foothold in Shanghai, which also played a very important role in the development of Shanghai's ink making industry.

Ink ingot "Jade Bureau Fairy"

The ingot of "Yuju Shenxian Ink" on display is the first work of Shanghai-style Hui ink and has milestone significance. According to research, this ingot of ink was produced by Duan You in 1864, when he moved to Shanghai. He worked with Qian Huian (Jisheng) and Wang Cuiren (Shushen) that year, and it was the first ingot of Hui ink "made in Shanghai"; the custom-made inks for literati on display, such as "Wu Qingqing's Seal Learning Ink" by Wu Dacheng in the Qing Dynasty and "Hanxiang" ink by Wu Changshuo of the Shanghai School in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, witnessed the exchanges between Cao Sugong and Shanghai-style literati calligraphers and painters; the special-shaped inks such as the round-carved figure ink "Kuixing" are also new representative varieties developed by Cao Sugong Ink Company to meet the needs of the Shanghai market after it moved to Shanghai.

Ink ingot "Cold Fragrance"

Ink round sculpture of a figure "Kui Xing"

More than ten years ago, a reporter from The Paper visited Mr. Wang Yi. He lived in an old public housing estate. His collection almost squeezed out all of his living space. As far as the eye could see, it was all occupied by the four treasures of the study. The room was full of ink products, which seemed to be about to overflow. It was most appropriate to describe it as "this is a humble room, but only the fragrance of my ink". Looking back on his experience of collecting ink for more than 40 years, Wang Yi frankly said that as an ordinary working class, it was difficult for ordinary people to imagine the hardships he had to endure to collect such a room full of treasures, but he never thought of giving up. If there is any experience worth sharing, it can be summarized that the working class collects, first by saving money, second by fate, and more importantly, perseverance.

Exhibition View

When talking about the appreciation of ink, Wang Yi said: "The key is to see more real objects. People who have seen 10,000 ingots of ink will naturally have a different feeling about ink." There are several channels to see real objects. One is various auctions, such as special auctions related to ink, where you can get your hands on it and appreciate it up close. The second is communication between collectors, which is an effective way to learn about ink. The third is to go to museums to see real objects. The ink collected by museums is basically authentic and fine. After seeing more good things, your vision will naturally improve. "

The exhibition will run until June 7th.