* Reading was one of the most important activities for the literati, or scholarly elites, in ancient China, so most of the high-ranking officials burned incense before reading as their own sacred ritual. They also burned incense before playing musical instruments, bathing or dressing.

On rare occasions, calligraphy was written on black paper with white ink. Examples include transcribing from the carved inscriptions on commemorative stone steles, writing for funerals and mourning ceremonies, or writing in the author’s personal art style.