Interviewing LIN Tao, Director of Jiangzhou Chengni Inkstone Research Institute

Source: Yuncheng Urban and Rural Collective Industrial Association

Updated: May 12, 2020  16:07

LIN Tao, male, born in 1968, is a senior arts and crafts artist, and a master of arts and crafts in Shanxi Province. He is a national labor model, and a winner of "National May 1st Labor Medal". He also occupies many titles, such as the representative of Shanxi Provincial People's Congress, member of Yuncheng CPPCC Standing Committee, deputy of Xinjiang County Artists Association Chairman, senior expert in Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, vice chairman of China Four Treasures Association of Scholars, member of China Arts and Crafts Association, member of Chinese Folk Artists Association, member of China Oriental Culture Research Association, deputy director of Shanxi Arts and Crafts Association.

Jiangzhou Chengni inkstone originated in the Han Dynasty, rose up in the Tang Dynasty, and flourished in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it reached the highest level and became one of the four famous inkstones in China. Later, due to various reasons, its craftsmanship had been lost in the Qing Dynasty. In 1986, LIN Tao and his father LIN Yongmao excavated and developed the Jiangzhou Chengni inkstone. They revived the Jiangzhou Chengni inkstone, a national treasure lost for more than 300 years. On the basis of restoring traditional skills, he has made innovation by combining traditional art with modern technology. He conducted scientific research on the traditional color forming mechanism of Chengni inkstone, and strived to build a strong cultural brand, which became a key project of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Jiangzhou “Chengni Inkstone Manufacturing Skills" was exclusively selected into the "National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Inkstone Manufacturing Skills Protection List", qualifying "Jiangzhou Chengni Inkstone" the top first brand in this industry in China. It filled a gap in intangible heritage skills of Chengni inkstone. He has participated in the "Chinese Inkstone Culture Summit Forum" and cultural exchanges at home and abroad for many times, and has promoted Chinese traditional culture to the world. LIN Tao has been devoted to the research on the formulation and firing of Chengni inkstone for 30 years, and has achieved extraordinary accomplishments. The products have been selected as "Art Treasures of China" for four times, and have won the title of "National Treasure", the highest honor of the Four Treasures of Chinese Scholars for five times. It has been awarded the "World Outstanding Handicraft Badge" by UNESCO for five times and included as a permanent collection. It has won the "Shanxi Provincial Youth Science and Technology Award" and "Shanxi Provincial Young Scientific Research Expert" many times for the highest honor. 

Their products have been used as gifts for grand occasions, such as Shanghai World Expo, the public welfare of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the cross-strait Tsinghua University centennial celebration activities and the parade to Taiwan of Guandi statue . His "Red Revolutionary Areas Series Inkstone" and "The Anti-Japanese War Series Inkstone" are collected by the National Military Museum, and the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War Memorial and other major museums across the country. His works participated in international cultural exchanges many times and promoted Chinese traditional culture to the world. In October 2013, he was named the “National People’s Learning Star”. In December 2013, he was awarded the “Top Ten Cultural Figures in the 20th Anniversary of the Brilliant Shanxi Merchants”. In January 2014, he was identified as one of the “Four Group of Talents”. In April 2014, was awarded the "National May 1st Labor Medal" by the China Federation of Trade Unions. In October 2014, his "Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum Series Inkstone" was awarded the highest honor of "World Outstanding Handicraft Badge".

Over the years, LIN Tao has led the team to create various types and series of "Jiangzhou Chengni Inkstones" with unique ingenuity in rich cultural connotations and distinctive characteristics of the times. They enjoyed over 800 media coverage, such as CCTV "Oriental Time and Space", Shanxi TV Station " Beautiful Shanxi", Shanxi Film Studio, Beijing TV Station, "People's Daily", "People's Pictorial", Hong Kong "Ta Kung Pao", Philippine "Business Daily", Taiwan "Ziyu Jinsha" and others. In 2013, he invested 50 million yuan to build the "China Jiangzhou Chengni Inkstone Cultural Park", which innovated a new model for the protection and inheritance of national intangible cultural heritage in the new era. His products are sold to major cities across the country and exported to dozens of countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Philippine, Australia, and so on. 

Their works have been loved and praised by painters, painters, scholars, collectors and celebrities at home and abroad. LIN Tao's story has been compiled into dictionaries such as "The Talent Pool of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", "The Four Treasures of Chinese Scholars", "Chinese Young Artists" and other dictionaries. Jiangzhou Chengni Inkstone has become a well-known brand in the industry at home and abroad, and its market share ranks first in the country. LIN Tao has become the "cultural messenger" representing Yuncheng, Shanxi, and China.