Wang Chunlin, a provincial-level inheritor of traditional handmade oil soot ink making in Anhui, started learning to make oil soot ink from his father at the age of 14. The oil soot inkstick made with traditional techniques from the soot of burnt tung oil or various other oils lines with smooth and bright luster. Along with the inkstone, brush, and paper, the inkstick is considered one of the "Four Treasures of the Study" in classical Chinese literary culture.