Kong Jia, the fourteenth ruler of China’s quasi-legendary Xia dynasty according to the Bamboo Annals, lives in the Xia capital of West River, reigning from 1789 BCE to 1758 BCE.

Said to have been very superstitious, he cares only about alcohol and beautiful women.

From his time on, the power of Xia will begin to decline and Xia’s vassal kings will grow increasingly powerful until one of them, Tang of Shang, finally overthrows Jie, the last ruler of the Xia dynasty, and establishes the Shang dynasty in 1618 BCE.

The history of Chinese inks can be traced back to the eighteenth century BCE, with the utilization of natural plant (plant dyes), animal, and mineral inks based on such materials as graphite that are ground with water and applied with ink brushes.