Dorothy Y. Ko, Professor of History, Department of History, Department of Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, Barnard College - Professor Ko gave the annual Hu Shih Distinguished Lecture on October 3, 2019. In this talk, Professor Ko introduces the hidden history and cultural significance of the inkstone and also puts the effaced stonecutters and artisans on center stage while revealing the workings of the Qing “material empire.” Specifically, this talk focuses on the career of Gu Erniang, the most famous female inkstone-maker in the history of the craft, as well as her relationship with her male patrons and collectors. The collaboration between artisans and scholars announced a new social order in which the hierarchy of head over hand no longer predominated.