Anonymous Qing Dynasty Statue of Wang Xi.
Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Collection Preface", Yan Zhenqing's "Manuscript of the Sacrifice of Nephews", and Su Shi's "Cold Food Post" are known as the "Three Great Books" and rank first. However, in the nearly 2,000 years since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, famous calligraphers have emerged one after anotherSo much so that Feng Chengsu's facsimile of the "Orchid Pavilion Collection Preface" has become a model for future generations to worship and a well-known model
Tang Feng Chengsu G Lan Tingxu (Shenlong Ben).
Time rewind to the ninth year of Yonghe (353 AD), in the first month of this year, Emperor Mu granted amnesty to the world, but then, the amnesty did not seem to have any effect: the drought in March, the plague in May, the ** in July, the sound is like thunder... However, this was not the worst news, the worst news was that Yin Hao, the general of the Chinese army, who led an army of 70,000, was defeated when he went on a northern expedition to Shansang (present-day Mengcheng, Anhui). No matter how you look at it, it has been an extremely uneven year. However, on the third day of the first month of March, Wang Xizhi convened the famous families at that time to gather in the "repair" of the Lanting Pavilion in Huiji, and took advantage of the famous monuments written by the eternals "Lanting Collection Preface", which added a touch of bright color to this year of continuous famine.
Qing Fan Qi Lan Pavilion repair wedge map (detail).
Just like without Ouyang Xiu, there would be no drunkard pavilion in Chuzhou, the ancients also once said: If there was no Wang Xizhi, the Lanting would have been lost in the empty mountain wilderness. It can be said that the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection is a great work of art and a thoughtful essay worthy of in-depth analysis.
Nearly 1,700 years have passed, in the 324-character dot strokes of the "Orchid Pavilion Collection Preface" - although this is not Wang Xizhi's authentic handwriting, it still does not prevent us from comprehending the life perception of this group of scholars represented by Wang Xizhi through these words and dot paintings. Wang Xizhi's feelings about human life are scattered in the corners of this masterpiece, reflecting the "Wei and Jin demeanor" admired by literati throughout the ages.
Northern Song Dynasty Guo Zhongshu Lanting Yu drinking map.
Wang Xizhi infiltrates calligraphy and the richness, fragility, transient tremor, anxiety, and vigor of human life into the bottom of the brush. Because behind the "Lanting Collection Preface", there is an author with flesh and blood, true temperament, and cosmic life perception. From the dot painting brush and ink of "Orchid Pavilion Collection Preface", we can see Wang Xizhi's uninhibited feelings, the feelings of affection for the mountains and forests, the peerless freedom of elegance, and his extraordinary keen perception of life, death and pain in life. Wang Xizhi can be said to be the first person in the history of Chinese calligraphy to express such complex situations and emotions in his pen.
Through his works, we see the "people" reflected between the lines, and even the consciousness of life as the ultimate essence of human existence. This sense of life resonates with everyone, ancient and modern.
Jin Wang Xizhi's sun and moon are like galloping posts (detail).
Although many people know more or less the preface to the "Lanting Collection", do they really know the "book saint" Wang Xizhi?What kind of person is he?How did the times in which he lived make him?What does his circle of friends look like?What else happened in the ninth year of Yonghe?What kind of state of mind does he want to convey in the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection"?How to solve these puzzles?
Yuan Qian Xuan Xi Zhi Guan Goose Picture (detail).
Su Dongpo's Circle of Friends" author Liu Mo has another masterpiece - "Yonghe Nine Years: A Covenant with Lanting", which takes you into the era under the rule of the gate lord clan in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, so that everyone can re-understand Wang Xizhi, and gain insight into the trajectory of Wang Xizhi's growth and life and the beginning and end of the birth of "Lanting Collection Preface". Let's go back to that unquiet era, sort out his family history, grasp his thoughts, understand his situation, and feel his ease and ease.
Perhaps through the anecdotes in the article, you can also tell the reason why Wang Xizhi became a sage of calligraphy.