About the author:
Wang Xizhi (33-361, 321-379), a calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was known as the "sage of books". A native of Linyi (now Linyi, Shandong Province), he moved to Shanyin, Huiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province) and lived in seclusion in Jinting County in his later years. Successive secretaries, general Ning Yuan, Jiangzhou secretariat, and later the civil history of Huiji, leading the right general.
His calligraphy is good at all aspects, such as Li, Cao, Kai, and Xing. He studies the style carefully, imitates the style by hand, draws on the strengths of others, prepares the styles, and melts them in one furnace. He has got rid of the style of writing in Han and Wei Dynasties and has a far-reaching influence.
the style is peaceful and natural, the brushwork is euphemistic and subtle, and it is beautiful and healthy. Li Zhimin commented: "Wang Xizhi's calligraphy not only shows simplicity and abstinence based on the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, but also shows harmony based on the Confucian doctrine of the mean." The masterpiece Preface to Lanting is known as "the best running script in the world". In the history of calligraphy, he and his son Wang Xianzhi are called "two kings".
Extended information
In the ninth year of Yonghe, Wang Xizhi organized an elegant gathering in Lanting, Shanyin, Huiji. The quiet landscape and beautiful scenery have attracted the support of celebrities such as Situ Xie 'an, Ci Fu writer Sun Chuo, Xie Wan, who is proud of his pride, and Zhi Daolin, a monk. Of course, several children from Xihe House also followed their father out, offering, condensing, wandering and mysterious things.
March in the south of the Yangtze River is usually a rainy season with continuous drizzle. On this day, the weather is particularly sunny, with mountains and mountains, lush forests and bamboo trees, the wind is pleasant and smooth, the streams are clear and turbulent, and the gurgling sound is refreshing, and the scenery in the mountains is even more quiet and pleasant!
In response to the last day's custom, people use fragrant grass to dip in water or bathe to wash dirt, praying for the elimination of illness and ominous in the beautiful season of spring.
In order to liven up the atmosphere, someone has come up with a way to play with water. Everyone sat on both sides of the winding stream, and then Nunnery put the wine-pouring feather into the clear stream and let it flow down the river. If it stagnates in front of anyone, whoever has to compose poetry, if it can't sing poetry, will be fined three cups.
On the way, the tapir stopped in front of Wang Xianzhi. Under the age of ten, he held his breath for a long time and was fined for drinking. (Later Qing Dynasty poets also made doggerels to make fun of Wang Xianzhi. "But I laughed at King Wu Yi, and there was no poem at the Lanting meeting." ) In this Lanting Elegant Collection, eleven people each wrote two poems, fifteen people each wrote one poem, and sixteen people each fined three cups for failing to write a poem.
The romantic gathering and good times of forty-two people slipped away unconsciously in the meandering water and drinking and writing poems. In order to preserve these drunken masterpieces, everyone plans to summarize the poems and compile them into a collection to commemorate this great event and leave a memory for future generations. But there is only poetry, who will do the preface?
So some people booed and recommended Wang Xizhi, the respected convener of the party, to write a preface to record this elegant collection. Wang Xizhi, who was half drunk and half awake, didn't shirk his duties. He wrote 28 lines with a moustache pen on silkworm paper, and his heart and hands were smooth. Every word was charming and healthy, like 324 words of God. This is the Preface to Lanting Collection, which is praised by later generations as "the best running script in the world".
Baidu Encyclopedia-Lanting Preface