Inside the Secret World of Chinese Ink Making

What if the future of a 1,000-year-old art rested in just four days?

00:00 The Vanishing Craft
01:07 The Four Treasures of Calligraphy
02:25 Inside Master Chen’s Workshop
03:27 A Student with Only Four Days
05:42 The Legendary Song Yan Ink
06:12 From Soot to Solid Ink
09:14 The Art of Ancient Molds
12:37 Gold, Precision and Patience
17:29 A Master’s Fading Strength
20:24 Can the Tradition Survive?

The Chinese refer to the brush, paper, ink stick, and ink stone as the Four Treasures. They are not just mere stationery but highly desired art objects. To the uninitiated, though, it's hard to tell the difference.

For the last 50 years, Master Chen Jia De has been engulfed in the black art of producing what many acknowledge as extremely high-quality ink.

Lim Chiew Eng, an art teacher, practices calligraphy with passion. When presented with the opportunity to revive this artisanal craft, she takes flight all the way to Taiwan.