Rubbings of Hengshui calligraphy

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Hengshui calligraphy engraving rubbings

Applicant: Taocheng District, Hengshui City, Hebei Province

Project No.: 1181

Project No.: VIII - 201

Time of publication: 2011 (the third batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Hebei Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Taocheng District, Hengshui City, Hebei Province

Protection unit: Taocheng District, Hengshui City, FA tie Museum

A brief introduction to the rubbing technique of Hengshui calligraphy engraving:

Applicant: Taocheng District, Hengshui City, Hebei Province

Taocheng District of Hengshui City is located in the hinterland of the North China Plain, on the Bank of the beautiful Hengshui Lake. There are more than ten villages where the calligraphy is engraved, among which Yanzhuang is the most large-scale. Most of the villagers know how to use the stereotyped rubbings, and the calligraphy is exquisite. In its heyday, it not only sold in local stores, but also sold to Tianjin, Beijing, Shandong, Shanxi and other places. Beijing Liulichang alone had more than ten Yanzhuang poster stores, the most famous of which were "Yimo hall" and "Mo Bao Zhai".

During the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, a merchant surnamed Yan from Yanzhuang, Hengshui, went through the prefecture and was good at seizing business opportunities. When he learned that scholars loved calligraphy and calligraphy of famous masters, he made rubbings of inscriptions in various places, mounted them and sold them by the way. There were many buyers, but it was inconvenient to develop inscriptions, so he was fond of carving calligraphy and calligraphy. In Hengshui, local materials were used, and fruit trees were used instead of stone slabs. After many attempts, the carving was successful. Later, this skill was handed down from generation to generation. For a time, some villages in Hengshui became professional villages for making calligraphy.

Hengshui Sutra is unique in both carving technique and rubbing method. The carving technique is smooth and smooth, and it reproduces the charm of the original work. There are many kinds of rubbings, such as cicada wing and Wujin. The working procedures are: draft selection and finalization, material selection and processing, plate engraving, rubbing and binding.