China Exploration
  • China Exploration
  • 86-28-86270775
  • info@chinaexploration.com
  • Tour Code Search
  • HOME
  • China Tours
    • Top 10 China Tours
    • Classic China Tours
    • Yangtze Cruise Tour

        Yangtze Cruise Routes

        Yangtze Cruise Calendar

    • Join-in Group Tours
    • Short Stay Tours

        144 hours VISA free tours

        Less than 7 days tours

    • Family Tours
  • Adventure Tours
    • Overland Off-road Tours
    • Culture & Folklore Tours
    • Wildlife Exploration Tours
    • Trekking & Hiking Tours
    • Eco-Tour
    • M.I.C.E. & Event
    • School and Education Tours
  • DESTINATIONS
      BeijingBeihaiChengduChongqingChangshaChaozhouDaliDalianDunhuangDatongEnshiFuzhouGuilinGuiyangGuangzhouHaerbinHangzhouHohhotHulun BuirHongKongHuangshanJilinJiangxiJinanJinggangshanJiuzhaigouKashgarKaifengKailiKunmingLanzhouLijiangLuoyangNanchangNanjingPutuoshanPingyaoQinghaiQingdaoQinhuangdaoSanyaShanghaiShenyangShandongSuzhouShenzhenShangrilaTibetTianshuiTianjinTaiyuanUrumqiWuyishanWutaishanWudangshanWuhanXiamenXishuangbannaXi'anXiningXinjiangXingyiYinchuanYichangYunnanZhangjiajieZhanjiangZhangye Explore All Destinations>>
  • Customized your trip
  • TRAVEL GUIDE
    • Travel to China
    • China Visa and Permit
    • Chinese Attractions
    • Chinese Culture
    • China Nature Reserve
    • China City Guide
    • China Maps
    • China Travel News
    • Hotel Booking
    • FAQS
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Glory
    • Olympic Torch Bearer
    • Feedback
    • Photo Album
    • Travel Story
    • Travel Video
    • Teams and Condition
    • Insurance Policy
    • Site Map
  • China Tours
  • Top 10 China Tours
  • Classic China Tours
  • Join-in Group Tours
  • Short Stay Tours
  • Family Tours
  • Adventure Tours
  • Overland Off-road Tours
  • Culture & Folklore Tours
  • Wildlife Exploration Tours
  • Trekking & Hiking Tours
  • Eco-Tour
  • M.I.C.E. & Event
  • School and Education Tours
  • Honeymoon Tour
  • DESTINATIONS
  • Beijing Tours
  • Beihai Tours
  • Chengdu Tours
  • Chongqing Tours
  • Changsha Tours
  • Chaozhou Tours
  • Dali Tours
  • Dalian Tours
  • Dunhuang Tours
  • Datong Tours
  • Enshi Tours
  • Fuzhou Tours
  • Guilin Tours
  • Guiyang Tours
  • Guangzhou Tours
  • Haerbin Tours
  • Hangzhou Tours
  • Hohhot Tours
  • Hulun Buir Tours
  • HongKong Tours
  • TRAVEL GUIDE
  • Travel to China
  • China Visa and Permit
  • Chinese Attractions
  • Chinese Culture
  • China Nature Reserve
  • China City Guide
  • China Maps
  • China Travel News
  • Hotel Booking
  • FAQS
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Glory
  • Olympic Torch Bearer
  • Feedback
  • Photo Album
  • Travel Story
  • Travel Video
  • Terms And Condition
  • Insurance Policy
  • sitemap
Home > TRAVEL GUIDE > Chinese culture > Painting and calligraphy
Ink Rubbing in China
Ink rubbings, or Tapian in Chinese, refers to the paper that copies the shape of stone inscriptions, bronze ware and other cultural relics and the characters and patterns on it. It is an ancient traditional skill in China. It is a skill that uses rice paper and ink to clearly copy the words and patterns on inscriptions and utensils.
 
Rubbings is one of the important way to record Chinese national culture. History, geography, politics, economy, military affairs, ethnic affairs, folklore, literature, art, science and technology, architecture and so on can all be found with useful materials from these rubbling papers. In a broad sense, the rubbings is to cover the rice paper on the surface of the objects to record the patterns and words. The rich quantity and content can be said to cover everything, such as oracle bone bronze, stele epitaph, cliff statues, coin portraits and so on. The narrow sense of rubbings mainly refers to the tablet extension. Many inscriptions have been lost, because of the rubbings handed down, to feel the content and style of the original inscriptions,
 
 
In ancient times, the rubbings technique was still a traditional craft in Chinese culture because of its high difficulty and strict requirements. Chinese rubbings technology is divided into two schools, south and north, and then many branches under them.The stone calligraphy works of ancient time still exist in today’s world in the form of rubbings. Since the Song Dynasty, the "North Stone Tablet , South calligraphy script" briefly summarized the main differences between the north and south factions. The Southern school focuses on the study of inscriptions (ink calligraphy), while the Northern school focuses on the study of Steles (stone carving calligraphy). The two schools of the North and the South were separated by political reasons during the Five Kingdom Period. Through the five dynasties of the kingdoms of Eastern Jin, Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, and Chen, and after the Northern schools, the kingdoms of Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin, Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui Dynasties formed the current situation in the Tang and Song Dynasties. The Southern School is represented by the Shu School.
 
The main rubbing objects of traditional Chinese rubbings are calligraphy characters on stone tablets, oracle bones and bronze vessels, and they also have a small number of patterns. The rubbings are made differently. Simply, the paper can be covered on the hard plane engraved with the desired content, tilt the pencil tip, gently painted, so that the uneven part of the text is copied to the paper. Traditional Chinese rubbing procedures require that the surface of the stone or bronze surface be washed clean and then poured with clean water. Wet the rice paper, then small rubbings can be moistened with soft brush, large rubbings can be moistened with towel. After wetting, the rice paper is gently applied from top to top, and then a layer of dry rice paper is pasted on the wet rice paper to absorb the excess water, the four corners are fixed, and the rice paper is beaten with a brush to keep the wet rice paper close to the expanded plane, and then the dry rice paper is removed. After the wet rice paper is slightly dry, then dip the sauce in the right amount of ink, and gently beat the wet rice paper to copy the pictures and pictures. When the rice paper and ink are dried or dried on the tablet, remove the four corners to fix, and finally remove the rice paper.

 
The basic method of rubbing : Firstly cleaning the stone surface,the part of pattern or text need to be brushed as far as possible. And then put on with the right size of rice paper cover it, and the paper should be gently wet, then put on a piece of soft wet paper on it in order to protect the rubbing paper, and then use a brush gently knock or beat on the protecting paper and make wet paper attached to the surface of rubbing closely. The rubbing paper need to be attached on its decorative pattern of text and ups and downs. Then remove the layer of paper, when the wet paper slightly dry, dip in the right amount of ink, apply evenly on the surface, in the protruding object gently beat, and then it will form rubbing of black and white.

More Attractions

Recommended Tours

Mt. Wudangshan Off-beaten Track

It is overland tour to Mt. Wudangshan in Hubei province from Xian. Hubei province is located in mid China connecting many provinces in China by convenient transportation of railway, cruise, and flights......

8 Days New Sichuan Tours of Jiu

Classic Sichuan tours cover all of the highlights of Sichuan from culture to nature, including classic Chengdu tours, Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong bullet train tours, Emeishan Mountain and Leshan Giant Bud......

The Most Beautiful Sichuan Plat

Tours to the most beautiful Sichuan Plateau on Tibetan plateau of Western Sichuan, including Kham Tibetan of Ganzi prefecture and Amduo Tibetans of Nagwa prefecture with all highlights as Jiuzhaigou, D......

3 Days Jiuzhaigou Valley Train

Classic three days Jiuzhaigou tours of bullet train riding, save budget from Jiuzhaigou air tours, easier and comfortable than traditional bus tours. ......

Jiuzhaigou Private Tours By Tra

Provide private tours to Jiuzhaigou valley for tourist both by flights or overland bus tours, and just tell your need, and we will tailor-made a private package for your tour to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglon......

2 Days Leshan Giant Buddha and

Classic two days tours to west Chengdu, where Leshan Giant Buddha and Mt Emeishan are both world class top tour destinations, and also visit a local old town. ......

Popular China Packages
  • Top 10 China Tours
  • Yangtze Cruise Tours
  • China Short Trips
  • Tibet Tours
  • Sichuan Tours
  • Yunnan Tour
  • Guilin Tour
  • Xiamen Tours
Adventure Tours
  • Overland Off-road Tours
  • Culture & Folklore Tours
  • Wildlife Exploration Tours
  • Trekking & Hiking Tours
  • Eco-Tour
  • M.I.C.E. & Event
  • School and Education Tours
  • Honeymoon Tour
China Travel Guide
  • Travel to China
  • China Visa and Permit
  • China Attractions
  • Chinese culture
  • China Nature Reserves
  • City Guide
  • China Maps
  • China Travel News
  • FAQS
Follow Us
Keep me updated
  • Stay up-to-date with the latest news direct to your inbox.

Address: 35th, Yangguang Business Center, Jinjiang District, Chengdu, Zip610065, China
About us | Contact us | Teams and Condition | Customer Center | Site Map
TEL: 028-86270775 E-mail: info@chinaexploration.com
Working hours:9:00AM-6:00PM(GMT+8)),Copyright(2003-2026) 蜀ICP05000963号 China Exploration Tour

  • Email: info@chinaexploration.com
  • Telephone: 86-28-86270775