中国洮砚产地考辨

On the Origin Place of Chinese Tao Inkstone

从隋末、唐、宋到元初的近700年间,“洮州”“临洮”互为别名、同时共存。在宋朝人有关洮砚的诗文和砚史资料中,明确记载洮砚出产于洮州临洮。洮砚是洮州(临洮)洮河绿石砚的简称。从《明史》《清史稿》《岷州志》等史料看,明、清时洮砚石材产地属岷州管辖的说法,于史无证,不能成立。明、清以来有关洮州的地方志和民国时的物产调查、考察实录、洮砚专志,均记载洮砚出产于古洮州(今甘肃省卓尼县洮砚镇喇嘛崖一带),但同时同类有关岷州的史料,均无洮砚出自岷州、属于岷州特产的任何记载。因此,可以明确,古洮州、今卓尼县洮砚镇是唯一的“中国洮砚之乡”。

From the end of the Sui(7A.D.),Tang and Song Dynasties to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty(14A.D.),“Taozhou” and “Lintao” are aliases and coexist.In the poems and historical materials about Taoyan of the Song Dynasty people,it is clearly recorded that it was produced in Taozhou or Lintao.Taoyan is the abbreviation of “the green stone inkstone of Taohe River in Taozhou(Lintao)”.Judging from the historical materials such as A History of the Ming Dynasty,Documents of History of Qing Dynasty and Minzhou Chronicles,the statement that origin place of Taoyan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties belonged to the jurisdiction of Minzhou was undocumented and could not be established.Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the local history of Taozhou and the property surveys,investigations,and slogans of the Republic of China have been recorded that the only origin place of Taoyan is in the area of Lama Cliff of Taoyan Town in Zhuoni County of Gansu Province.Regarding the historical materials of Minzhou,there is no record of Taoyan.Therefore,it can be clarified that ancient Taozhou and Zhuoni County are the only “hometown of Chinese Taoyan”.