Changzhou Longquan Inkpad 常州龙泉印泥

Firstly created in the 21st year of Emperor Kangxi Period (1682), Changzhou Longquan inkpad has been called as one of China’s top three inkpad gems and enjoyed great reputation in the calligraphy and painting community all over China.

According to the local document records, Longquan inkpad was selected as tribute again and again in the Emperor Qianlong Period, and was greatly favored by the emperor and a big batch of imperial painting masters. In the decades when it was imperially ordered by Emperor Qianlong as the imperial supplies, the inkpad he used for his imperial jade seal was right Changzhou Longquan vermilion inkpad.

China Changyin Society that makes Longquan inkpad is standing at Biji Lane, a thousand-year ancient street in Changzhou a famous city in southern China. The famous expert of Dream of Red Mansions Feng Qiyong inscribed the name plate himself for it and Changzhou Longquan inkpad was created by the Liu’s ancestor Liu Wengao.

Changzhou Longquan inkpad craftsmanship and skill has gone through over 300 years, Liu’s ancestral traditional secret recipe is applied strictly and the inkpad is finely made by more than 20 working procedures. It has bright red and shiny color and is dazzlingly beautiful. It does not get frozen in cold winter, nor permeates greasy in hot summer; instead, it emits fragrance and does not fade, and has great penetrating quality and adhesiveness upon been stamped onto calligraphy and painting works. Even being put into water for three days, the inkpad remains its original bright red color upon being used.

Changzhou Longquan inkpad is mainly classified into the vermilion inkpad and scarlet inkpad.

The vermilion inkpad has the color as bright red with purple and is fine and thick;

The scarlet inkpad shows yellow in red and is shiny.