The Origin and Legend of Duanyan Tea Tray

Duanyan began to be made in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. But in those days, Duanyan was purely a practical tool for literati to write, and there was no pattern on the stone surface, which was rough and simple. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhao's Supplement to Tang Shi said that there are porcelain in the inner hills and purple inkstones in Duanzhou, and there is no distinction between noble and low in the world.

Later, in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, when an old worker who made inkstones passed by Duan Xi, he saw two cranes flying in the stream for a long time. He became suspicious and went fishing, but what he fished out was a stone! However, this stone is strange. There are cracks on it, and cranes are heard from time to time. The old inkstone worker pried open along the crack, and the stone was split into two inkstones, with a crane standing on each side of the pine tree. The news spread, and inkstone workers copied them one after another, or showed their skills and carved various patterns on the inkstone. This is probably the beginning of Guangdong ink stone from a practical product to a practical handicraft.

In the early Tang Dynasty, laborers who made their living by picking inkstones and making Dragon Boat Festival appeared in Keshan Duan Xi, the eastern suburb of Zhaoqing, Guangdong. Here, the Xijiang River flowing eastward crosses the canyon and goes straight to the South China Sea. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, it is magnificent and thick with rocks. Shuiyan (old pit), Kengziyan, Mazikeng, Chaotianyan, Gutayan and Xuandeyan in the famous pit of Duanyan are scattered in this picturesque environment. The Guangdong ink stone has gradually become a unique handicraft in Zhaoqing; It is deeply loved by literati and admired by dignitaries and emperors. In the Song Dynasty, Duanyan Stone was listed as a "tribute" and became famous at home and abroad.