How to Turn Soot into Precious Ink Sticks | NO TALKING

Solid ink sticks are the go-tos for painters in China, but to make them, artisans have to spend more than a year collecting ash, pounding, moulding, and painting each bar by hand. This laborious process means many think ink sticks are more precious than gold. We visited a master in Anhui province to see how they are made.

00:00 Collecting ash by burning candles
01:14 Mixing and pounding with glue
03:30 Shaping the ink sticks
05:16 Decorating with paints

This video is a continuation of our Fly on the Wall series – that’s zero talking👂🏼for full ASMR satisfaction.

Want to know more? We’ve got the in-depth commentary version here:
Ink Sticks More Precious Than Gold | Artisans E3
   • Ink Sticks More Precious Than Gold  |...  

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Videographer: Patrick Wong
Editor and mastering: Victor Peña

#China #art #calligraphy