Foreigners who have encountered Chinese calligraphy find the instruments and materials used in this art to be quite novel. The writing brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone are called the "four treasures of the study," (????) which shows their importance in the academic life of Chinese intellectuals.

The writing brush had been widely used at least as early as the Shang Dynasty. The character (?)in the shell-and-bone script shows a hand holding a writing brush. But then writing brush was primitive. In the Qin Dynasty noted military general Meng Tian improved the making of the writing brush. Archaeological findings show the writing brushes from the Qin and Han dynasties were much the same as those now in use. Usually the bristles of a writing brush are made either of wool or weasel hair. Many writing brushes can now be found in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing, which were tributes to the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. These fine writing brushes represent the best workmanship of the times. For a calligrapher, a writing brush is as important as a weapon is for a warrior.

Before paper made of plant fiber was invented, Chinese characters were written on silk, which was so expensive that it could be afforded by only a few nobles. Archaeologists have unearthed writings on silk from the Warring States Period, which show a high achievement in calligraphy. But most people wrote on bamboo or wooden slips-bamboo slips were common in the south and wooden slips, in the north. Among the cultural relics that were found are a large number of writings on bamboo and wooden slips from the Warring State Period, which provide inspiration to today's calligraphers. In 105 inventor Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty improved the technology of paper-making by using various plant fibers to make inexpensive paper. The invention of paper has greatly advanced the progress of human civilization, and paper is listed as one of the four major inventions in human history. The Chinese further improved the technology by turning out Xuan paper, which is most suitable for calligraphy and painting. This paper is highly absorbent, which shows off the different hues and shades of ink, making it ideal for Chinese calligraphy and painting. As the paper was first produced in Xuanzhou of Anhui Province, it is called Xuan paper.

Top-rated Chiese calligraphers and painters are particular about the quality of the ink stick. The ancient Chinese collected soot from burning pine branches and mixed it with the powder of spices to make ink sticks. They rubbed the ink stick with water on an ink stone to prepare black ink for writing and painting. Depending on the amount of water added, the ink is thick or thin, and a successful artist can create different hues and shades from the ink. Once, a collector of ink sticks, although not skilled at calligraphy, would often prepare a pool of ink on an ink stone and sipped it to taste it. This story underscores how important the ink stick is for Chinese intellectuals.

The ink stone is also a prerequisite in traditional study in China. Ink stones from Shexian County of Anhui Province in east China and Duanzhou of Guangdong province in south China are highly valued by Chinese literati. When they get an excellent ink stone, men of letters would ask a skilled craftsman to process it and have the owner's name or favorite motto inscribed on the sides or bottom. Abundant collections of ink stones can be found in major museums in China. Touching an ink stone used by a historical icon is like conversing with a historical figure.

Perhaps no other people in the world attach such importance to writing instruments as the Chinese. These treasures of the study are not simply stationery, but have become part of a particular culture, the traditional Chinese culture, which is poetic in nature.