Editing Inkstone (section)

=== Qing dynasty ===
The transition to civil rule under [[Kangxi Emperor]] in 1681 saw an increase in imperial inkstone production. Inkstones were often given as gifts, likely in part to help connect existing Chinese literati culture to the new Manchu imperial culture.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ko |first=Dorothy |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1298399895 |title=The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China |date=2017 |isbn=978-0-295-99919-7 |location=Seattle |pages=62–65 |oclc=1298399895}}</ref>

The [[Qianlong Emperor]] had his own imperial collection of inkstones catalogued into a twenty-four chapter compendium entitled ''Xiqing yanpu'' (Hsi-ch'ing yen-p'u). Many of these inkstones are housed in the [[National Palace Museum]] collection in Taipei.

Qing dynasty emperors often had their inkstones made of Songhua stones, but this choice was not popular outside of the imperial workshop. Inkstone design outside the palace developed largely in parallel with imperial inkstone design, although they occasionally intersected.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> [[Gu Erniang]] was the most famous inkstone-maker among Chinese scholars in the early Qing dynasty. Records indicate her inkstones were elegant and relatively simple, as was the preferred style at the time. However, by the late Qing dynasty, the inkstone market had turned to favoring highly intricate and novel designs.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Ko |first=Dorothy |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1298399895 |title=The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China |date=2017 |isbn=978-0-295-99919-7 |location=Seattle |pages=20–22 |oclc=1298399895}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ko |first=Dorothy |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1298399895 |title=The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China |date=2017 |isbn=978-0-295-99919-7 |location=Seattle |pages=172 |oclc=1298399895}}</ref>