他的墨里，藏着一座徽州古城 | Keeping Chinese traditional calligraphy alive

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"My name is Xiang Desheng. I've been making Hui Ink for 38 years."

“我叫项德胜，我呢，从事这个徽墨到现在已经38周年了。”

A local saying goes: "Atoning for your preexistence, your life in Huizhou is hard. Turning into a teenager, you're already like a discard." Generations of Huizhou people have been pursuing dreams away from their hometown at a very young age. The hero of this story, however, chose to stay home over just leaving like many others did. Resting on his laurels by no means, he inherited the Hui Ink making methods. For him, it is more meaningful than migrant working.

“前世不修，生在徽州。十三四岁，往外一丢。”这句古徽州的谚语流传甚广，生动勾勒出了一代代徽州人早早自力更生，打拼在外的形象。而今天我们要讲的主人公，却没有像其他人一样背上行囊，背井离乡。但选择留守家园，并非意味着不思进取，安于现状。因为对于他来说，传承家里世代引以为傲的徽墨制作工艺，意义丝毫不比出门开疆扩土来得小。

The town of Huizhou is painted with ink,  illustrated by those Hui-style black and white horse-head walls. "A genuine Chinese ink wash painting is never done with any other colors, but only the natural shades of the ink," Xiang said. The simpler, the better.

徽州注定是水墨色的，且不说别的，就看那一面面黑白构成、泾渭分明的马头墙就可见一斑。项德胜说：“中国的水墨画，不用任何的颜色，这才叫真正的水墨丹青。”最美的风景，往往是用最纯粹的方式表达的。

Under limited conditions in the cramped working room, Xiang has to conduct processes including soot refining and extracting, glue making, cooling, carving and decorating with gold, etc. Both his hands show indelible marks due to years of working. Hardly any people would now devote to this traditional craftsmanship. Nevertheless, he believes that Hui Ink making is not only an intangible cultural heritage, but also a significant component of the Hui culture. Making it thrive has become his lifelong goal.

制墨的环境并不算好，项德胜需要在狭窄的空间内完成炼烟、取烟、熬胶、晾墨、雕刻和描金等众多工序。由于长年制墨，即使他洗净双手，似乎还能看到若隐若现的墨痕。很多人已不愿去触碰这项技艺了，但在他心中，徽墨的制作不仅是宝贵的非物质文化遗产，更是徽州文化组成的一部分，他不想让这块瑰宝枯萎。

"I've always liked painting," Xiang said with a smile. "High-quality Hui Ink is essential for the preservation of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Eventually, I became passionate about Hui Ink because far more than a way to make a living, it gives a sense of responsibility and mission."

“我从小就喜欢画画，”项德胜娓娓道来，“好的徽墨对字画的保存，对字画的效果起到了关键性的作用，后来研究到这个后我就热爱上了徽墨，因为这不仅仅是谋生，也是一种责任，一种使命。”

Thus, he keeps soot refining in its traditional process despite the low yield and the scarcity of raw materials. And yet, only with such techniques can the ink paintings be preserved from discoloration as long as possible.

因此，他坚持采用古法炼烟，尽管产量很低，很多原材料也较为稀少，但只有这种材料才可以保证字画，保证墨汁不褪色，永存万臻。

"Fewer people know these things nowadays, so the paintings that have been done in recent years wouldn't last very long," Xiang said, with unconcealed worry on his face.

“因为大家都不了解这些，所以现在我们的字画要断代，”他的脸上略过一丝忧虑。

Only fine Hui Ink can dissolve into as many as five shades: dry, wet, thin, thick and black. For this reason, lampblack, pine soot, borneol and musk are some of the key ingredients. In addition to the traditional techniques, Xiang has made innovations in process design and mold carving, creating delicate products in various shapes.

好的徽墨能达到枯湿浓淡黑，墨分五色的效果，这背后的秘诀当然离不开油烟和松烟，加上冰片防虫蛀的功效，麝香增加穿透作用。项德胜不仅继承了传统的技法，更是在原有的基础上大胆创新，从设计到模具雕刻，各式新颖的造型在他的巧手下一一成形。

"Now we go beyond the pragmatism for their collection values. We have to adapt to the new era and expand the market."

“不仅要从实用角度出发，更要开发收藏的价值，在传承的基础上拓展市场，适应时代。”

"After all, we call ourselves craftsmen. We shall keep on improving. There's no best, only better. To pass on the making methods for high-quality Hui Ink so that it can benefit more people, that's my dream."

“我们毕竟是做手艺的人，要精益求精，做任何事情都是无止境的。把好的徽墨制作工艺，永久的保存下去，让更多的人能用上真正的好墨，这就是我的理想。”

Cameraman: Fang Zhijun

Film editor: Chen Xiao, Liu Shuo

Story written by: Cao Zhi 

English editor: Bertram Niles

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