Among all kinds of pens, the writing brush is a unique one in China. Traditional brush is not only a necessary learning tool for the ancients, but also has a unique power in expressing the special charm of China's paintings and calligraphy. China's calligraphy and painting are inseparable from the use of brush.

As a writing tool, the brush has a very long history, and traces of the brush have been left on the painted pottery in the Neolithic Age. Although no writing brush has been seen in the Western Zhou Dynasty and above, some traces of writing with a pen can be found in prehistoric painted pottery patterns and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the brush was widely used to write bamboo slips and silk books. This shows that the brush originated before Shang Dynasty. The earliest writing brush can be traced back to about two thousand years ago. A writing brush from the Spring and Autumn Period was found in the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Leigudun, Suizhou City, Hubei Province. It is the earliest pen found at present, and it is a precious material left over from ancient times.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, pens had different names, such as "pen", "jade" and "symbol". It was not until the Qin Dynasty that "books are the same, and cars are on the same track" that various names of pens were called "pens". According to legend, Meng Tian, a general of Qin Dynasty, once took wool to make pens in Shanlian Village, and was regarded as the originator of pen-making locally. It is also said that Meng Tian's wife, Bu Xianglian, is also proficient in pen-making, and is enshrined as the Queen of Pen. By the Han Dynasty, the pen was already exquisite, and Lu Yi was a master at that time. Besides rabbit hair, there are wool, deer hair, raccoon hair and wolf hair. , both soft and hard. At the same time, the texture and decoration of the pen tube are also more abundant. According to official historical records, China's famous Xu Anbi was invented in the Han Dynasty.

Xu Anbi's period is an important period for the development of Chinese brush. In the Jin Dynasty, the purple brush made of rabbit hair in Xuanzhou, Anhui Province was famous for its sharp nib. Xuanzhou Chen's pen is highly praised by Wang Xizhi and others. In the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzhou became the center of pen-making in China, and Xu Anbi's reputation increased day by day. At this time, Xu Anbi's production skills, material selection, and the carving art of pen container are becoming more and more perfect. Liu Gongquan, Ouyang Xiu, Mei and Su Dongpo all spoke highly of Xu Anbi. Xu Anbi was regarded as a tribute and a royal pen in the Tang Dynasty. Geographical records: In the second year of Tang Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong went upstairs and saw the specialties of Xintan and dozens of counties in the south, all of which were placed downstairs, including pens from Xuancheng County. Chen and Zhuge's pens spanned the Tang and Song Dynasties, and their pen-making skills were passed down from generation to generation. Centerless pen has the characteristics of soft performance, solid foundation, long-term use and smooth writing, and is called "the best in the world". In the Song Dynasty, in addition to Zhuge family in Xuanzhou, Lu Daoren in Shexian, Lu Dayuan in yi county and Wang Boli in Xin 'an all had fame for some time.

After the Yuan Dynasty, the pen-making industry centered on Huzhou became increasingly prosperous. Chinese brush has entered the second important period of development-the period of lake brush. Among them, Yang Haobi is the most famous, deeply loved by scholars and appreciated by the court. At this time, Huxi Pen is as famous as Xu Anbi, even surpassing Xu Anbi, and has become a famous representative of Chinese painting at home and abroad. Tiger skin, known as "the best in the world", was originally from Shanlian Town, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. In ancient times, Shanlian belonged to Huzhou Prefecture, so the brush produced here was called Hubi, and Shanlian was also called "Pen Capital". At that time, Hubi was called "Four Treasures of the Study" together with Huimo, Duanyan and Xuan Paper, and there appeared such pen-making masters as Feng Yingke, Wu Sheng, Lu Zhen, Shen Xiurong and Pan.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Shanlian Lake Pen gradually spread abroad, and Shanlian people opened a number of famous pen shops in various places, such as Gu and He Lianqing in Beijing, Zhou Huchen, Li Dinghe in Shanghai, and Bei Songquan and Lu in Suzhou. The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the heyday of the pen-making industry in China. It goes without saying that it is used by the royal family and the government to make exquisite and gorgeous pens. Even the brush used by the people pays great attention to decoration and beauty. At that time, bamboo, jade, carved lacquer, ivory, porcelain, enamel and other materials were used as pen tubes. In the decoration of the pen tube, everything is done, reaching an unprecedented richness.

Because the brush is made of animal fiber, it is difficult to preserve it for a long time, so there are very few complete ancient brush handed down from generation to generation. Except for a few unearthed objects, the brush that can be seen in Ming and Qing dynasties is also a rare treasure.