On any sunny Sunday afternoon, Taipei residents out for a stroll with the family may find an elderly vendor selling inkstones and other calligraphic necessi- ties in front of the entrance to Taipei's New Park. Looking like a scholar or cal- ligrapher himself, with eyeglasses and a faded blue traditional-style cotton pad- ded jacket, he sits on a small folding bamboo stool with his wares in front of him.

"Inkstones, brushes, inksticks... " His call mixes with the hum of the large crowd but is not muffled by it. A dozen or more inkstones of varying size, shape, and decoration are laid out neatly before him on a broad cloth. From time to time, interested passersby stop to examine an inkstone more closely. If someone decides to buy one, a price is agreed on, usually about US$20 to US$50, depending on the size and quality of the stone. Not everyone who buys an inkstone is a calligrapher or a collector; some people just like to keep an attrac- tive looking inkstone on their desk as a reminder of their ancient and noble lit- erary tradition.

For those who have the necessary financial resources, collecting antique inkstones is a rewarding, and expensive, hobby. Serious collectors may not know much about calligraphy, or need to for that matter, to spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on a valuable stone. Tuanchou, Hsichou, and Yaoho inkstones, now as in the past, are the most highly prized. If the inkstone bears a calligraphic inscription by a known scholar, the price of the inkstone will depend upon the fame of the scholar and how long ago he lived. The majority of old inkstones available for sale today are from the Ming and Ch'ing periods, with earlier specimens being rare and capable of commanding astronomical prices.

Avid collectors can be found in Tai- wan's northern neighbor, Japan. Japa- nese collectors frequently take tourist trips to Taiwan to scour the numerous antique shops for old inkstones. Not given to bargaining like their Chinese counterparts, the Japanese usually pay whatever price is asked for an.antique that catches their interest. For this reason, many antique dealers like to reserve their more valuable inkstones for Japanese customers, which has gerierally driven up the market value of antique inkstones in Taiwan.

Today, for calligraphers as well as students, the use of the inkstone to grind ink is mostly a matter of choice rather than necessity. The "time is money" mentality has found its way even into the fine arts; such time savers as pre-ground calligraphy ink, and even machines to grind ink, are readily availa- ble. Even though a pre-ground ink equal in quality to that ground from a stick has yet to be developed, some people still opt for the convenience. In this case, the former noble function of the inkstone is relegated to nothing more than a surface to contain the ink between dips of the writing brush.

For the serious calligrapher, how- ever, there is another dimension to the use of the inkstone. Grinding ink is a meditative exercise, giving the calligra- pher an opportunity to quiet his mind before writing an essay or calligraphic work. Perhaps he will first light some in- cense, and sit contemplatively before his writing table, watching the small whiffs of smoke float up like little clouds from a bronze censor crafted in ancient style. After picking up the black rectangular inkstick, he carefully pours a small  amount of water from the waterpot onto the inkstone. Holding the inkstick with the small end on the inkstone, he begins to move the inkstick with a slow, deliber- ate, circular motion across its surface. The calligrapher's mind becomes one with the steady trajectory of the inkstick over the stone. After several minutes the small pool of water has started to blacken, at the same time taking on a thicker appearance. Having ground the ink to the desired amount and con- sistency, the calligrapher then dips his brush into the ink, and pulls it to a point across the surface of the inkstone. With a look of calm determination in his eyes he brings his brush to the paper. With these motions he has joined centuries of calligraphers who before putting brush to paper have begun in the same way. ~