As one of Four Treasures of the Study, Mo has been used by China people for thousands of years. Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty was written with graphite and cinnabar. After the invention of paper in Han dynasty, it was uncomfortable to use graphite as a book, so a kind of pill ink with lacquer smoke and pine coal as raw materials was produced, which was the origin of ink in the future. In the 4th century, during the Three Kingdoms Wei Dynasty, Dan Wei made an unusual ink, which was "used in the middle like a pigment". Glue was invented in Jin Dynasty, and the quality of ink was greatly improved. Ping Ping Tie Juan, a land machine in the Western Jin Dynasty, has crystal clear ink, simple calligraphy and bare pen, which fully embodies the achievements of writing tool reform. The Tang Dynasty was one of the dynasties with the most extensive cultural exchanges in China. In the Tang dynasty, an official factory was set up to make ink, and the official was the ancestor. He learned from the experience of Song Yanmo, a tribute from North Korea, made materials from various sources, and made ink with Gu Song tobacco and antler glue, which made him famous all over the world. From the use of graphite to the emergence of artificial ink, it has gone through more than 1000 years. Li Yu, the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties, was a monarch who was keen on the art of calligraphy and painting. With his advocacy and support, the fine ink and wash made by father and son was appreciated by Li Yu, and was given the surname Li, known as "Li Tinggui Ink" in history. In the Song Dynasty, there were not only Song Yanmo, but also Youyan Mo. Famous artists come forth in large numbers, and the beauty and ink are colorful. Literati value calligraphy, so they regard ink as treasure, take ink very strictly, and divide ink well. Therefore, Song Mo has reached perfection, which is enough to assist great painters and painters to remain immortal. Today, the names of people in the Song Dynasty can still see their artistic brilliance, and the role of famous ink is indispensable. The Ming Dynasty was the most brilliant and successful dynasty in the ink industry. Advanced ink-making methods such as "Tung Oil Fumigation" and "Paint Oil" are widely used, and the appearance of a set of decorative cluster ink "Jinjimo" is widely welcomed. Although the ink-making industry in Qing Dynasty was not as big as that in Ming Dynasty, both Kang and Gan Dynasties were good at books and paid great attention to the production of ink, so the imperial system of famous ink in past dynasties was excellent. After jiadao, influenced by western culture, the production of ink declined gradually.

The impression of ink seems a little simplistic, but it is an indispensable article in ancient Chinese characters. With the help of this original material, the fantastic artistic conception of China's paintings and calligraphy can be realized. The world of ink is not boring, but rich in connotation. As a consumable, ink can be presented intact today, which is very precious.

Before the invention of artificial ink making, natural ink or semi-natural ink was generally used as writing material. Ink was invented about later than pen. Prehistoric painted pottery patterns, Shang and Zhou Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bamboo slips, silk paintings and so on have left traces of original ink everywhere. According to documents, ink was also used in ancient ink punishment (face painting), ink rope (carpenter's use) and ink turtle (divination). After this long course, in the Han Dynasty, artificial ink finally began to appear. This kind of ink raw material is taken from pine smoke, which is first kneaded by hand and then molded, and the ink quality is solid. According to Ying Shao's "Han" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Shang Shuling, Servant Shooting, Cheng Lang, give a large amount of ink and a small amount of ink every month." Bai Weiling is located in Qianyang County, Shaanxi Province, near Zhong Nanshan Mountain. There are many pine trees on the right side of the mountain, which are very famous for the tobacco used to make ink.

From the production to the final product, there are many processes such as glue injection, blending, steaming and baking, and there is also a molding process. Ink carving is an important process and also an artistic creation process. The shapes of ink are generally square, rectangular, round, oval and irregular. Ink mold is generally composed of front, back, top, bottom, left and right six pieces, while circular or idol-shaped ink mold can be synthesized only by four or two pieces. Built-in ink, close the hammer and smash the finished product. Most of the nib is engraved on the side, so that the ink mold can be easily replaced when it is reused. There are many forms of ink, which can be divided into natural ink, lacquer ink, gold ink and lacquer ink.

Chinese painting is also very particular about using ink. There are two kinds of ink: "oil smoke" and "pine smoke". Oil smoke ink is made of tung oil or burning smoke. Song Yanmo is made of burning pine branches. Oil smoke ink is characterized by black and bright color; loose ink is characterized by deep and dull color. Chinese painting generally uses lampblack, only color painting occasionally uses pine smoke. But in the performance of some plain things such as butterflies, black velvet and so on. Pine smoke is also used, and ink in Chinese painting is generally made of ink ingots. When we choose Mo Ding, we should look at its ink color. Look at the dark blue and purple, followed by black, red, yellow and white is the worst. The method of grinding ink is to grind it evenly and slowly with clear water until the ink is thick. The ink should be freshly ground. Ink that has been ground for too long is called Su Mo, which is generally unavailable in Su Mo. However, there are only a few painters who like to paint with Su Mo.

We now have various inks for painting and calligraphy, such as China Ink, Yidege and Cao Sugong, which can be used instead of ink.