A NECESSITY in Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy, ink was famously seen as one of the must-have items to equip an ancient Chinese study. Now, it is being recognized as equally essential among a list of cultural items whose continued production China is working to ensure.

    Traditional crafts including ink- stick making will be showcased in a Beijing event, Feb. 5-15, that will aim to raise their profile. The event is based around “intangible cultural heritage,” or ICH, a set of old skills and crafts designated by authorities as worthy of protection.

    Specifically, the organizers will focus on “preservation-orientated” businesses, meaning enterprises funded by government to ensure that the next generation can carry on production of otherwise-threatened industries.

    Famed craftsmen will be brought to the Chinese capital to show off their skills. In the case of ink production, they will travel from the central province of Anhui.

    The most famous ink sticks, solid forms ground with water to create liquid, are the Hui ink sticks produced in Anhui. The practice dates back at least 1,100 years.

    The unique pigment is made from pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain. It got the name Hui ink because the outcropping was originally under the jurisdiction of Huizhou.

    Like many other traditional crafts that represent the essence of ancient Chinese culture, Hui ink-making is increasingly distanced from people’s daily lives as the country marches towards modernization.

    Ordinary people now seldom use ink sticks, which means the market for Hui ink-making businesses is shrinking, thus making it difficult to preserve the craft. However, Hui ink was in the first batch of China’s initial ICH items in 2006, so there is hope for the craft.

    More recently, in October 2011, China’s Ministry of Culture certified 41 areas into which “preservation-orientated” funding would be concentrated. Southern Anhui was one of them. A major base for the traditional production of ink sticks, paper, brush and ink stones, it has about 400 firms involved in ICH businesses, with an annual output of 1 billion yuan (US$158 million).

    (Xinhua)