Sealed with a Chop

PHOTO CREDIT: all photos by Nicholas Cupaiuolo

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), about the same time that the Renaissance was taking over the Western world, a renowned Chinese painter named Wang Mien was devising his own creative method of written identification. With most common folk in Wang's era unable to read or write -- as the Chinese language of that time was even more complex and diverse than we find it to be today -- and with fingerprinting, photo identification and automated communication still several hundred years down the road, Wang developed a method which is just as popular today. Wang began by carving stamps out of pyrophylite (a soft mineral) and then used the stamps as his signature on his own pieces of work.
The innovation of this single artist eventually evolved to become the precursor to printing -- one of the four most significant Chinese inventions. Thus today, the Chinese still have the chop, also known as "yinchang," remains an integral part of communication in both Taiwan and China. Anyone spending time in Taiwan will encounter chops, usually smeared with red ink and always laden with intricate Chinese characters identifying the name of a person, a company, or a good luck saying. Calligraphy (shu fa) shops employ artists who still carve the chops by hand. For those doing business in China, and often in Taiwan, a name chop is as essential as an identification card with a photograph.
The easiest way to find these chop stores is to look in any lock and key repair shop. Most are likely to carry supplies to make chops for either business or personal use. Most shops can produce a chop within a day, with costs ranging from NT$600 to NT$1200, varying according to the materials and methods used. All a foreigner needs is to have their name translated (or created) into Chinese characters. A suggestion is to have this is done by a business office, or a local, preferably a friend who knows the person so that the name is suitable.

Materials of choice vary depending on the taste of the buyer and can include stone, metal, plastic, and wood.
During Wang's era, jade was most often used by nobility, and copper by common folk. Both materials were sturdy and durable. Today, jade markets are good places to find stones such as jade, blood stone, lapis and onyx which, in the shape of miniature columns, are quite suitable for name chop carvings. At key shops, computerized programs often direct

a large metal machine in imprinting Chinese names onto stones -- quite a different approach from the more ancient and meticulous carving methods.
Artists often use a square chop to imprint their name on a painting. More renowned paintings contain several chop imprints, meaning that the work of art was well-received by high officials who gave their "seal of approval."

Often, the more chop imprints a painting contained, the more famous or renowned the painting was. Other shapes of chops can carry words of wisdom or good luck messages. In particular, round shapes indicate continuation and emit good feelings. They are often used to increase luck for the artists who use them on their work.
With regard to practical use, a person's signature is often not enough to seal an agreement. The signee must apply their name chop as well to make a document official.
Today, chops are still necessary when withdrawing large sums of money from banks, picking up registered mail, or legalizing contracts. Many people have a number of name chops which have specific functions.

Red ink paste (Hung yen ni)
After a chop is engraved, it must be pressed into red ink paste (hung yen ni) and then stamped onto paper before becoming an object of practical use. Red ink paste is made from cinnabar, a mercuric compound. The key to creating good ink paste is that it must be stirred frequently so the oil does not separate to the top and dry out the paste underneath. Chop owners recommend storing the paste in wooden or satin tapestry boxes for protection from air and dirt.

At some point during the chop evolution, poems or personal information also were carved on the sides of chops. Sometimes, a description of the owners feelings were carved into the stone as well. Elaborately carved figures are often found on top of chops and can be seen in many store windows today. These features can provide fascinating information about life during a particular era.
Throughout Taiwan, the art of chop carving has earned great recognition. Classes in chop making are provided at universities. There is an Association of Chop Engravers which holds seminars to promote interest in the art form.
Chop engraving, in fact, is considered to be part of a three-way fine arts network -- the other two arms being calligraphy and painting. Foreign interest has also increased as students and travelers to Asia have discovered the significance of the name chop.
No matter how large or small the issue at hand, a chop is the seal of good credit -- a sign that a person will hold on to his or her promise.

Thanks to Jim Hou for translation at various chop shops in Taichung. Information for this article was also came from the Internet article: "Chinese name chops: Artistic Expression & Practical Business Tool."