Yi De Ge

Yi De Ge is the ink that made Chinese calligraphy: founded in 1865, it supplied the ink sticks that scholars carried in their sleeves and the liquid ink that modern masters still refuse to switch from. The Liulichang shop smells of pine soot and musk, and the ink sticks are stamped, carved, and wrapped like small works of art.

Pick up a gift set with brush, ink, and paper for a few hundred yuan, or go deep with a hand-carved inkstone from the collection. The shop will even demonstrate how to grind ink the traditional way.