砚为“文房四宝”之一，苏易简《文房四谱》云：“四宝砚为首，笔墨兼纸，皆可随时取索，可终生与具者为砚而已。”可见文人墨客对砚台的厚爱。产于安徽的歙砚作为中国四大名砚之一，更为人所称道，南唐后主李煜说“歙砚甲天下”，恐怕看到真正的歙砚后你也会赞不绝口。

Inkstone is one of the "Four Treasures of the Study", meaning four basic tools in writing, drawing and painting that have been used since ancient times in China. According to Su Yijian's article Four Factors of the Study -- the inkstone should be prepared first, then ink, brush and paper usually follow.  Inkstones can be used for more than a lifetime. It can be observed in China that scholars love inkstones. One of the four famous inkstones in China, is the She Inkstone produced in Anhui Province. Li Yu, the last empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty, declared that She Inkstone is the best in the world. I presumed that you will be really amazed when you see the genuine She Inkstone of China.

歙砚是徽州非物质文化遗产的代表，其质地坚实细腻，磨出的墨汁润滑均匀，有“冬不干，夏不腐”的奇效。古代的歙砚采用龙尾石制作，龙尾石产于婺源龙尾山，一般需要5-10亿年的地质变化才能形成。之后还要经过相石选坯、制作粗坯、设计、雕刻、打磨等多个工序，每一步都不能草率。

She Inkstone is one of the representation of Huizhou's intangible cultural heritage.  Its texture is solid and delicate at the same time, and the ink is lubricated evenly in the inkstone to minimize friction when applying ink to the brush.  It has the miraculous effect of "never dry in winter, never rotten in summer".  Ancient She Inkstone is made of Longwei stone.  Longwei stone is produced in Longwei Mountain of Wuyuan. It usually takes 500-1000 million years to form.  Several procedures are needed to make an inkstone, including stone selection, rough modeling, design, carving, grinding and so on. Every step should be done properly and this may not be successfully completed if hastily executed.

歙砚的形制千变万化，从唐代的箕型砚，前高后低、前窄后宽的箕形淌池砚；宋代的抄手砚，砚底挖空可用手抄底托起；明清两朝具有时代特征的随形砚；到当代的写实派、文人派和抽象派等派别，每一块砚石都要根据其质地和纹理，因材施艺。歙砚的雕刻题材十分广泛，山水、亭台、楼阁、花草无所不取，人物、走兽、飞禽、虫鱼无所不包。

The shape of She inkstones differs one from the other. There are dustpan-shaped inkstones in Tang Dynasty with high-narrow front and low-wide back, the hand-lifted inkstones in Song Dynasty which can be lifted by hand as the bottom of inkstones is hollow, the natural-shape inkstones during the period of Ming and Qing Dynasties and the realistic, literal and abstractionist inkstones in modern times that each inkstone is made according to its unique texture and shape.  She inkstones have a wide range of carving themes, including landscapes, pavilions, architectures, flowers and plants, as well as characters, animals, birds, insects and fish.

除了物的雕刻，更值得一提的是一些文学作品也会出现在歙砚上。这类刻于砚台表面的文字被称为“砚铭”，是砚雕的一部分，集佳石、文学、雕刻、书法于一体。“涩不留笔，滑不拒墨……厚而坚，足以阅人于古今。朴而重，不能随人以南北。”——苏轼《孔毅甫龙尾砚铭》。这是苏东坡刻写在友人孔毅甫的一方歙砚上的铭文。前半句，是对砚台的赞美之词，也就是以铭说砚，后半句是以铭立德、以铭抒情。

Apart from ink grinding, She inkstones are used for inscription of literary works. Chinese characters engraved on surface of inkstone are called "inkstone inscription", which is a kind of inkstone carving that integrates stone art, literature, sculpture and calligraphy.  "The texture is both rough and smooth that does not create much friction to the pen. Thick and hard, it well withstands weathering of the time and can be clearly read in both ancient and modern times. Simple and solemn, it does not drift with the tide of changes”. This inkstone inscription is named Longwei Inkstone Inscription of Kong Yifu written by the literature giant Su Shi to his friend Kong Yifu. The first part describes his admiration for the inkstone, and the second sentence is to express the virtue that the inscription indicates.

文人有砚，犹如美人之有镜。一方好砚，本身就是一件艺术珍品，再书刻上精美的铭文，更是锦上添花。

An inkstone for a scholar is like a mirror for a beauty. A good inkstone is an art treasure in itself, and an exquisite inscription is just the icing on the cake.