Xuan City: Hometown of Chinese Calligraphy / Painting Four Treasures Part 2 ("Three Rabbits Brands")

The Xuan writing brush, together with the famous Xuan paper, is made in Jing County, Anhui Province. In ancient times, Jing County was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture, where the product got its name.
Scholars of the Jin Dynasty (256-420) were especially fond of the Xuan brush. During the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, Xuanzhou became a writing brush manufacturing center, and the Xuan brush was listed as a tribute to emperors. At that time, folk artisans made a breakthrough in craftsmanship in selecting materials and polishing the shaft. Brushes were both sharp and neatly cut, and plump and smooth at the tip, enabling artists to write and paint freely. The Xuan brushes, made elaborately from brownish rabbit hair, are considered to be the best and come at a very high price.
Because of wars in the Song Dynasty, brush makers moved out of Xuan City toward the south as a consequence, Hu Zhou brushes also became very famous.

宣筆為安徽省涇縣文房四寶之一，據韓愈《毛穎傳》記載公元前二三年，秦將軍蒙恬南下時途經中山（安徽省涇縣一帶山區）發現這裏兔肥毫長，便以竹為管，在原始的竹筆基礎上製­成改良毛筆。到唐朝時，安徽省涇縣便成為全國的製筆中心，故得名為宣筆，隨后被列為貢品和御用毛筆，此后製筆名家輩出，宣筆盛行全國成為文房四寶珍品之一。

近年來宣筆製造業發揚傳統工藝，多方求教于書畫名家，繼承創新，現在宣筆的品種已多達三百多種，選料嚴格，工藝考究，精益求精。有名家設計的鶴頸古法胎毫、蓮蓬斗筆、北尾­合毛，都達到了尖、圓、齊、健的四法要求。它不僅暢銷國內各省、市，還遠銷日本、東南亞、歐、美各國。

Category:

Education

Tags:

• calligraphy
• painting
• Chinese
• China
• art
• Mandarin
• shufa
• 書法
• 書道inkstone
• brushes
• Japanese
• shodo
• Hanji
• Kanji

[cristobelle56]

Many thanks for the English translation. I'm slowly learning Chinese calligraphy and the paraphernalia used for this beautiful art from your videos. Best,

[artvirtue]

@cristobelle56 You are welcome. Keep on good work and practice. I learn this art in a slow manner for years.

[ritalina1958]

O, yes! It is possible only to dream Of such brushes!

[artvirtue]

You are in Russia. I don't know anyone who sells that close to your area...

[nikolajpotanin]

@artvirtue but is it possible to purchase these wonderful brushes over internet?

[artvirtue]

@nikolajpotanin Yes. I have included a list of vendors in my YouTube profile.

[obamagf]

Try e-Bay now they have so many :)