Huangshan Shopping

Huangshan Traditional Craftworks and Folk Arts
Traditional craftworks in Huangshan are the four treasures of the study, i.e. writing brush, ink stick, inkstone and paper. Hui ink and ink stone are particularly famous (Hui is Anhui for short). The folk arts of Huangshan are four carvings (brick, stone, wood and bamboo), bonsai of Hui style, prints, bamboo knitting and other souvenirs.

Hui Ink Stick Shopping from Huangshan
The invention of ink stick is one of the great contributions by Chinese ancestors. Hui ink stick is the surprising blossom in Chinese ink crafts. The Hui ink stick is also one of the famous four treasures in study. Hui ink stick is famous for produced in Huizhou Yamun in ancient times. Huizhou Yamun the mother country of Hui ink stick has been gotten back its former appearance in its traditional site. The Hui ink stick manufacture centers are Jixi County, Tunxi District of Huangshan City and He County in Anhui. “Globe Ink Stick” which had gained the “Golden Award” in year 1915 in the World Exposition in Panama is now the museum piece.
The varieties of Hui ink stick and specialties:
Hui Ink Stick is made from the main materials-the black ash of the burned deal, smoke of Chinese wood oil, smoke of oil paint and mucus. Hui ink stick is usually used in traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting. Finished Hui ink stick features black and smooth color, solid and ashine. The color of Hui ink stick is off from fade in durability. It also has strong fragrant and can defend moths. Hui ink stick can be divided into three specs-high, medium and low. High grade ink sticks in Chinese are Chaodingqiyan, Tongyouyan and superfine Songyan, etc. High grade Hui ink stick is added in over ten rare materials such as tung oil smoke, muskiness, borneol, gold foil, pear powder and so on. Hui ink stick becomes an all-around art treasure gathering calligraphy, painting, carving and sculpted art.

Huizhou Stone Carvings Shopping from Huangshan
Stone carving is one of the four great carvings in Huizhou of Huangshan. Other three carvings are brick carving, woodcarving and bamboo carving. Huizhou four great carvings originally in Song Dynasty and prevailed in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Carvings are mainly used for decorating houses, ancestral temple, torii, furniture, screens, brush pot and so on. Stone carvings are divided into full relief, basso-relievo, chase and so on. Huizhou stone carvings are made of bluestone. Huangshan teems with such bluestone materials. Art of stone carving not only limit to special materials but also engage itself to component of the architecture. Different stone materials need different carving skills. In Huangshan there is a special stone material – yellow wax stone. The yellow wax stone boasted waxiness texture and luster of jade is top grade materials for stone carving.

Wan An Compass Needle Shopping from Huang Shan
Compass needle was invented in ancient China as one of the four great inventions. The compass needle is broadly used in chronometer, geography, military affairs, navigation, house building, and tomb location, etc. Compass needle is a very important tool for choosing “Feng Shui”. (Feng Shui can be described as a marriage of art and science, is a practice found in China and refined by Feng Shui master.)
Wan An Compass Needle is the only existent compass in China made by hand and traditional crafts. The producing area of Wan An Compass Needle is Wan An Old Street, Wan An Town, Xiuning County of Anhui. Wan An Town of Anhui is the only area of making wooden compass needle. Stores for selling Wan An Compass originally were Hu Ru Yi, Fang Xiu Shui and Wu Lu Heng in Wan An Town. Hu Ru Yi and Fang Xiu Shui closed up during the war. Wu Lu Heng had once been forced to stop producing before China reform and opening. After China”s reform and opening Wu Lu Heng put back on production. Wan An Compass Needle made by descendant of Wu Lu Heng got “Golden Award” in 1995 in Huangshan Patent and Products Expo.

Brick Carvings Shopping from Huangshan
Brick carving is the special local handicrafts of Huizhou district of Huangshan. Brick carving is the unique culture and folk-custom in Huizhou, Huangshan. Huizhou brick carving is also the very important part of decorating art in Hui Ancient Architecture. Huangshan brick carving also called Hui brick carving is carved by grey bricks. The grey bricks are firm and close-grained. The brick carvings are widely used in housetops, eves and gate lintels to make the architecture look elegant and statedly. Patterns in brick carvings are varied such as flowers, birds, landscape, characters, living scene, mascots and so on. Some times, several brick carvings form into a whole story, legend or picture.
Shopping Tips of Hui Brick Carvings in Huangshan: brick carvings are heavier than other small articles, if it is inconvenient for carrying along with, you can deliver them home directly.
Huangshan Hui brick carvings are closed-grained and with exquisite patterns.

Huangshan Bamboo Carvings
Bamboo carving art is the local craftwork of Huizhou, Huangshan City in Anhui. Bamboo products were early from Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24). Archeologists once unearthed a painted dragon-pattern bamboo spoon from the Han tomb. Huizhou Bamboo carving was prosperous in Ming and Qing Dynasty (1364-1840). Bamboo carving art developed with time and became more and more colorful and perfect. Huangshan Huizhou Bamboo carving takes moso bamboo as the material. Huizhou bamboo works are various including ink marks and calligraphies of celebrities, key point of interests and historic sites, beautiful landscapes of China, fairy tale from folklore, gestures of animals and famous legend characters and so on. Bamboo carving major used as furnishings such as folding screens, vases, pencil boxes, toothpick box, ashtrays, ten containers, chopstick canisters, pencil vases, couplets, wrist mat, tablewares, etc. Some bamboo carvings are painted lacquer in light color; some bamboo carvings are smeared with tung oil- glossy and quiet elegant. Some bamboo carvings are only keep the original bamboo color.

Hui Prints Shopping from Huangshan
Print or woodcut takes a very important role in Chinese art. Prints in ancient times major refer to woodcut; also minority of copperplate carving and chromatically through printing forme. Hui Prints mean the prints of Hui genre. It is a print genre springing up from Huizhou of Huangshan. Hui prints were originally from block print in Nansong Dynasty. Hui prints are the effort of painters and woodcarving handicraftsman.

Huizhou Bamboo Weaving
Mountain Huangshan Area is rich in bamboo. Huizhou is one part of Huangshan and has long history of bamboo weaving. Bamboo handicrafts are divided in three categories: bamboo weaving, bamboo carving and zhupin. Bamboo weavings are the traditional handicrafts in Huizhou, Huangshan. Huizhou bamboo weaving formed from Tang and Song Dynasty and prevailed in Ming and Qing Dynasty. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, bamboo weavings usually are articles for daily use such as bowls, cups, plates, bottles, bamboo baskets and book cases, etc. Nowadays, bamboo weavings are extending to art and crafts such as bamboo weaving pictures, bamboo weaving animals and so on. Skills of weaving bamboo handicrafts are careful. The handicraftsman sometimes need to separate a bamboo strip into ten to 140 thin bamboo strips. That bamboo strip is less than one inch and those bamboo strips are as thin as hair and as flexible as silk floss. Many tourists to Huangshan like these unique handicrafts.

Huizhou Lacquer
Huizhou lacquers are mainly produced in Huizhou of Huangshan. They are the daily articles, craftworks and artworks smeared with lacquer on surface. Huizhou lacquers boasting history of more than 1000 years are traditional handicrafts in Huangshan. Main materials for Huizhou lacquer are row lacquer (plant lacquer), Chinese wood oil, timber, flax, shell and all kinds of bowlder, gold powder, gold foil, spun gold, cow bone, tile ash, cotton paper and so on which are in natural color. Huizhou lacquers together with Chinese traditional lacquers come down in one continuous line. Huizhou lacquers featuring flamboyant color and endurable texture have been popularly sell to America, France, Canada, Japan and counties of southeast Asia.