Exhibition showcases ancient Huizhou crafts

An exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing highlights traditional crafts, including paintbrushes, ink stones and stone carvings from the Huizhou area in Anhui province. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The Huizhou area has contributed handsomely to Chinese culture throughout Chinese history. Huizhou culture flourished in the southern Anhui region and influenced a wide range of fields - philosophy, literature, medicine, architecture, fine art, handicrafts and folk customs.

An exhibition jointly organized by the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Anhui provincial department of culture and the Huangshan city government is highlighting traditional crafts from the area.

The event, which began on April 11, will run until the end of May.

The traditional crafts from the region include xuan rice paper and Huizhou ink sticks, which used to be offered to royal families as tribute. Many of these items are still made today.

At the exhibition, more than 80 items like ink stones, ink sticks, paintbrushes, lacquer ware, bamboo carvings and stone carvings are on display.