Daiyuexuan Brand Ink Brushes(戴月轩Dàiyuèxuān Máobǐ) 
This writing brush was originally made by the venerable artisan Dai Yuexuan. Now, it is well-known in Beijing for its high quality and its elaborate craftsmanship. With the semi-manufactured writing brushes made in Zhejiang's Huzhou as the main material, the artisan used his immense skill to make a product uniquely sharp-pointed, neatly cut, smoothly round and gracefully stiff at the tip. Because of these four characteristics, this brand enjoyed high prestige among artists and calligraphers.

Dai Yuexuan actually worked for a writing-brush workshop by the east entrance to the Liulichang Cultural Street in Beijing 80 years ago. His brushes were much better than the brand made in Huzhou although using the same materials. Later on, the daiyuexuan brand become renowned far and wide.

Ink Brush from Houdian Village(侯店毛笔Hóudiàn Máobǐ) 
Houdian, a small village in the suburbs of Hengshui City in Hebei Province, is noted worldwide for its good-quality writing brushes.

Writing-brush manufacture came into existence in Houdian Village in the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle around 1404, and flourished in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). In the early years of the Republic of China, almost all brushes sold in Beijing's famous Dianyuexuan and Hukaiwen stores for writing and calligraphy were made by workers from Houdian. In 1952, the Houdian people built a large plant to pass on the traditional craftsmanship to the younger generation and to develop it.
The main materials are taken from the animal's tail, such as wolf and civet hair from tail, or ox hair from the ear, in more than 40 kinds. The hair collected in the winter is the best for making high-quality brushes. Five main procedures have to be strictly followed in manufacture, such as hair washing and drying, character carving on the shafts, packaging and the miscellaneous process. Each of the five procedures contains about a dozen processes before a brush with different shape and different specification is made for different purposes.

Brushes made in Houdian Village are durable, offering a good combination of flexibility and stiffness, absorbing more ink than other types, and with little likelihood of the hair falling out. 

The ink brush was invented in China, believed to be around 300BCE. Together with the inkstone, inkstick and Xuan paper, these four writing implements form the Four Treasures of the Study.