您现在的位置：关于中国 About China / 中国旅游 Chinese Travel / 地方特产 Local Color 广东端砚 端砚产于中国南部广东省的肇庆市。它是中国传统的实用工艺美术品，与安徽歙砚、甘肃洮砚和澄泥砚并称为中国“四大名砚”。 据史料记载，端砚始于唐代武德年间（公元618～626年），历史悠久。制作端砚的端石出自于肇庆东郊的烂柯山一带。端石石质细腻纯净、娇嫩滋润，用其加工成的端砚具有“秀面多姿，呵气研墨，发墨不损笔毫”的特点，历来被人们视为文房至宝。 端砚的加工制作要经过采石、选料、雕刻、配盒四道工序。其中采石和雕刻是最重要的两道工序，要求极为严格。采石过程中不得使用炸药爆破，全靠手工操作，尽可能使采出的石料完好成材。雕刻要依照石材的特点构思施艺，注重立意、砚形和雕工。砚的四周多雕刻有云龙、花鸟、飞禽走兽、人物山水等图案，雕刻刀法上分深刀、浅刀、细刻和线刻几种。此外，端砚的配盒也十分考究，多以紫檀木、花梨木、红木等制作。 端砚的样式多种多样，制砚艺人们在保持传统技艺和特色的基础上，不断创新，开发出一系列精美实用的新产品。包括各种实用的淌池砚、单打砚、斗方砚以及融实用性和观赏性于一身的雕花长方砚、雕花天然砚等。近年来，为适应大量出口的需要，还开发出一批传统仿古样式的产品，为端砚的发展注入了新的活力。 Guangdong Duan Inkstone Produced in Zhaoqing of Guangdong Province in south China, Duan Inkstone is reputed as one of the Four Famous Instones in China with She Inkstone in Anhui Province, Tao Inkstone in Gansu Province, and Chengni Inkstone in Shanxi Province. According to documents, Duan Inkstone was first produced during the Wude reign (618-626) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is made of Duan stone from the Duanxi River running at the foot of Lanke Mountain, hence the name. Famed as having fine nature and doing no harm to the brush, Duan Inkstone has earned a high reputation among Chinese scholars ever since. The procedure to make a Duan Inkstone include four steps: stone picking, selection, engraving and box matching, among which stone picking and engraving are the two most important steps. It is very hard to hand-pick the stones with no flaw, and other alternative tools such as dynamite are forbidden. Engraving stresses good conception, fine shape of the stones and engraving skills, which usually has flying dragon, flowers and birds, figures, mountains and waters as the decoration. The matching boxes are also very daintily chosen, often made of purple sandalwood, and rosewood. Duan Inkstone has various styles, and new-style products are designed one after another, such as Doufang inkstone, engraved rectangular inkstone and engraved natural inkstone, etc. In recent years, lots of archaized products were produced for the expanded export demand.