A significant archaeological mission in Shaanxi Province has identified the remains of a Western Zhou Dynasty industrial guild dedicated to the production of high-status writing materials. The site includes a large communal pavement made of finely polished abrasive stone used for the mass-grinding of mineral-based inks. Fragments of raw cinnabar and carbonized soot suggest the workshop produced both black and ritual red inks for the imperial court.
Archaeologists also recovered a collection of specialized bone and bronze styluses, alongside stone molds for forming ink cakes into standardized shapes. The presence of this dedicated industrial quarter confirms that the production of stationery was a specialized craft that supported the expanding administrative and ritual demands of the early Chinese state, centuries before the invention of paper.