The Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Traditionally a time to honor deities and ancestors, it has also become a time to feast and visit family members.
The Chinese New Year is a major holiday celebrated in countries with significant Chinese populations. These countries include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The New Year is celebrated on different days in different countries, but it always falls between January 21 and February 20. The date is determined by the lunar calendar, so the exact day changes from year to year.
In honor of the Rabbit, I thought I’d highlight the Chinese-sourced pens I own. I don’t believe any taboos are violated.
Chinese Pens for Chinese Companies
Wing Sung 601 hooded demonstrator (a blatant Parker 51 knockoff). Wing Sung was founded in 1948. The Shanghai WingSung Pen Factory is one of the biggest manufacturer and exporter specializing in all kinds of pens. Renowned for continued innovation, they produce high-quality products with attractive designs and packing.
The Shanghai Hero Pen Company has been manufacturing high-quality fountain pens since 1931. They began as Wolff Pens but changed their name to Hero in 1966. Hero pens are popular with users in China and India. This is a Hero 395 has a metal barrel and cap, heavily patterned, copper or brown in color with a very subtle lacquer or antique finish. The pattern is either imprinted or acid etched and is intended to make the pen look aged.
Kaigelu is a brand of Lanxivi, a subsidiary of Shanghai Hero Pen Company. The Kaigelu 316 was initially released in 2014 and closely resembled the Parker Duofold Centennial. My model is a 316A, the pen is made of acrylic celluloid (so they claim), something you don’t often see in contemporary pens.
Delike is a relatively new Chinese fountain pen manufacturer that has been around since about 2017. They have gained a reputation for having better quality fountain pens. They also have gained some notoriety for blatantly copying other brands these included an imitation of the Kaweco Sport Brass Fountain Pen and the Sailor Pro Gear Slim Fountain Pen.
This is the New Moon, a knockoff of the Sailor Pro Gear.
Made in China Pens Honorable Mention
These are pen manufactures headquartered outside of China and distributing pens manufactured in China (imagine that, oh the horror). As these are not Chinese pens by design, merely the result of saving a buck, thus I will simply list them.
- Esterbrook: Junior
- Conklin: All-American and Empire
- Monteverdi: Invincia Black Tie
- Scriveiner
- Sheaffer: Prelude
- Parker: IM
- Zenzoi: Bamboo Pen
The bottom line is this: I enjoy my Chinese pens, I got what I paid for. In all cases, they are better than I expected. I choose pens that are considered to be quality Chinese pen and that has proven to be the case.
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