Video also available on Panopto

Meet Lili Li

Vice Chair, Chinese Welfare Association

Lili was born in China and has been living in Northern Ireland for over twenty years. Before moving to NI, she worked as a computer programmer at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in Cambridge. After settling in Northern Ireland, she has held technical roles with organisations including Ulster Bank and Biopanda Reagents.

As part of the Bridges to China project, Lili shared her personal object — an inkstone. One of the “Four Treasures of the Study”, the inkstone represents thousands of years of Chinese civilization and artistic tradition. Through her story, Lili offers a deeply human insight into Chinese culture, showing how everyday objects can carry emotion, memory and creativity, and connect generations across cultures.

Watch Lili’s Story

Traditional Chinese Inkstone

The inkstone is one of the “Four Treasures of the Study” — the four essential tools in the Chinese tradition of writing and painting. These are not merely practical instruments. They carry thousands of years of civilisation and embody the spirit of Chinese artistic heritage.

The design of this inkstone is beautiful. A dragon coils across the top, surrounded by swirling clouds. This “cloud-dragon pattern” is one of the most prestigious motifs in traditional Chinese culture, symbolising power, nobility and good fortune.

At the centre of the inkstone is a round, sunken surface where the inkstick is ground with water to produce ink. It is here that writing and painting begin.

This inkstone was a gift from my mother. When she learned that I had begun studying Chinese painting, she passed this treasured object on to me.

My mother was an artist whose works were exhibited widely. She only began painting seriously after retiring. She told me she had dreamed of painting since childhood and finally found the time to pursue it later in life.

Now painting has become one of the most important parts of my own life. Every time I grind ink on this stone, lay out the xuan paper and prepare to paint, I feel a deep sense of calm and grounding. To me, painting is not simply a hobby. It is a way of expressing emotion and carrying forward Chinese culture.

This inkstone holds more than ink. It holds my mother’s dreams, my own passion and our shared love of Chinese culture.