Sparkling crystal and rare ivory... An art exhibition named "Footsteps of Civilization – Chinese Inkstones of Past Dynasties"is on display at the Chen Clan Academy until November 30.

The inkstone is Chinese in origin, used in East Asian calligraphy and painting, as well as other forms of brush painting. An inkstone is literally a stone mortar used for the grinding and containment of ink. Water can be stored in a water-holding cavity on the inkstone itself, as was the case for many Song Dynasty (960-1279) inkstones. The water-holding cavity or water reservoir in time became an ink reservoir for later inkstones.

The inkstone, together with the ink brush, ink (stick) and paper are the four writing implements traditionally known as the Four Treasures of the Study.

Four famous varieties of inkstones are the Duanshi stone (端石砚) from Duanxi, Guangdong; the She stone (歙砚) from She County, Anhui; the Tao River stone (洮河砚) from South Gansu; and the Chengni ceramic stone (澄泥砚) from Luoyang, Henan.

The inkstones displayed currently in Guangzhou are extremely rare, especially the purple Duanshi stone, which dates back to the early Tang Dynasty (618–907).