“Since the four treasures of study require traditional manual technique, handicraftsmen specialized in making them work in hard condition and live on slender income.” Guo says, “Due to the lack of worthy successors, this traditional art is becoming lost.”
Giving the artists the title master is one way to promote the industry. In fact, the title “master” outweighs profits, according to some experts, because they will be acknowledged by the four treasures market and thereby get more opportunities and popularity.
The masters need all the help they can get. According to Wu Jingsheng, one of the brush making masters, over 10,000 people were employed making brushes when the industry was at its height, but today there are 20 at most.
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Wu Jingsheng making brush
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Holding one of his brushes at his desk, Wu says, “People who are capable to make brushes of this quality are no more than three in Beijing.” “Fountain-pens have been abandoned, not to mention the brushes.” Wu laments.
After serving as an apprentice in a Beijing Brush Factory at age 10, Wu made brushes for the next 40 years. Although he is young compared to the other masters, he is well-versed in making a “jing” brush.
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