PenBBS - 114 Zhang Ailing

PenBBS - 114 Zhang Ailing - Ink drop

Today’s ink is a lovely, rich cardinal red. This is no.114 from PenBBS. The ink honors Zhang Ailing (aka Eileen Chang, 1920-1995). A prolific writer and translator, fluent in both Mandarin and English, she spent her life in both China and the United States. She was a modern feminist, writing on themes of suffering and survival. Her short stories authentically depict the early 20th century social dynamics of both Shanghai and rural villages.

PenBBS - 114 Zhang Ailing - Shades and sheen!

Visually, this is a beautiful mid-red as it hits the page, with just a subtle notion of pink-orange whispering from afar. As it dries, the whisper fades, and the ink deepens to the earthier red of the Chinese flag. Although the splatter shows a proud gold sheen, little appeared in writing. It’s a nice shading ink, with touches of lights and darks on most strokes. They’re bordered with a strong, dark edging that frames the deep red and defines each stroke.

PenBBS - 114 Zhang Ailing - Ink swatch card

This is a nice writing ink. Strokes are sure and confident, clean, and sharp. It’s a wet ink, and it flows smoothly. It performed well on all five premium test papers, and on office copy, as well. Drying was slightly longer than average at 20 seconds on most premiums, but under 5 seconds on office copy.

PenBBS - 114 Zhang Ailing - Ink swatch card

This is an easy ink to like. It’s a gorgeous, rich red (very similar to KWZ Thief’s Red), and a great writer. It’s well priced, and comes in a big, beautifully labeled, 60ml bottle. All boxes ticked!

PenBBS - 114 Zhang Ailing - Beautiful shading!