Shi Wangli shows how they are made at the Wangyiping Brush Pen Store. Photo provided to China Daily

"I believe that number would be much lower now. Most of the technicians have already passed the age of retirement, but are staying in their positions because, without them, the factories would have no one to make brush pens," he said.

There are 128 separate procedures involved in making a quality Huzhou brush pen, and all must be done by hand.

"Brush pens are made by the technicians' experience and the touch of fur on their hands," he said.

Xu said that 271-year-old Wang-yipin, with about 60 technicians, is the largest brush pen manufacturer in Huzhou.

"There are a lot more that have only two or three technicians, most of whom have reached their 60s or even 70s. The problem is more severe for them," he said.

According to official statistics, 102 companies and 187 family workshops make brush pens in Huzhou, employing more than 1,500 people. Together, they produce 10.3 million brush pens a year.

In January 2013, the Ministry of Education required elementary and middle schools to start calligraphy classes in order to save the Chinese tradition. That brought many orders for pens, but Xu said the increase in orders is bittersweet.

"We do not have enough people to make the pens," he said.