Chinese Goat Hair Fibers

In Chinese painting and calligraphy, the brush pen (mao pi) has been the tool of choice since ancient times (for at least 3,000 years) and is one of the "four treasures of the study" (wen fang szu pao), along with the inkstick, paper, and inkstone. Unlike fountain pens, ballpoint pens, and other typical Western metal-pointed writing instruments, brush pens are made from fine, soft animal hair. The quality of the lines created, whether sharp-edged or blurred, thick or thin, depends on the special characteristics of the brush pen and the hair fibers selected.