Paper trail shows master's technique

In the great Confucianism text The Analects, Confucius was quoted as saying: "A workman who wants to do his job well must first refine the tools he will use."

For artists of classical Chinese painting, their ideal working companions in their quest for perfection include brushes, ink, paper and ink slabs, all of high quality.

In reality, many painters were used to working on coarse paper, such as Qi Baishi (1864-1957), who came from a humble background and lived frugally even when he became well-known and received commissions from buyers.

Regarded as one of the most productive and influential ink artists of the 20th century, Qi left an oeuvre of not only formal pieces done on fine paper but also drawings and sketches made casually and on paper that was inferior in quality often meant for other purposes.