The last pen master

Photo: Song Shengxia

For the past 60 years, Zhang Guangyi has repaired fountain pens for 500,000 clients on one of the capital city’s busiest business street, Beijing Silver Street.

Eighty-year-old Zhang is known as “the last fountain pen fixer in China” and has worked in the same shop since he was 17 and began learning the craft from his father. Through the years Zhang’s fame has extended beyond China and he’s received loads of letters of gratitude from foreign customers.

The signature of Zhang’s unique craftsmanship is his ability to place the tiny tip on the pen nib, welding it with an argon arc welder and splitting it into precise equal halves. However, with the popularity of disposable pens and e-mail this craft is on the brink of being lost. Many years ago Zhang hired dozens of apprentices, who eventually dropped out of the trade as the popularity of fountain pens fell. Zhang’s another big problem is finding parts to restore broken pens, because manufacturers are also drying up.

Despite fewer customer visits and the decline of fountain pens, Zhang continues to come to his century-old shop from 3 pm to 5 pm ready to serve customers who may travel thousands of miles to have their damaged pens restored.

Beijing Evening News