Tracing the disappeared "Preface to the Lanting Collection"
Recently, experts from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology in mainland China claimed that there were at least 500 tons of material in the Qianling Mausoleum where Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty were buried together. Among the treasures, the most eye-catching one is that the Institute of Archeology believes that Wang Xizhi’s masterpiece of calligraphy, "Preface to the Lanting Collection", which has been passed down through the ages, is most likely buried in the Qianling Mausoleum.
This news immediately triggered heated discussions. According to historical records, "The Preface to the Lanting Collection" is a burial object of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and is forever buried in his mausoleum, Zhaoling. Now the inferences made by experts from the Shaanxi Institute of Archeology have made everyone curious about the true whereabouts of the "Preface to the Lanting Collection".
Not buried with him
Historical records show that after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty went through great hardships to obtain the authentic copy of the "Preface to the Lanting Collection", he not only copied it diligently, but also copied it before his death. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, who was about to succeed to the throne, expressed his wish to have the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" buried with him. Gaozong, who also loved calligraphy, originally hesitated. After all, it would be inappropriate to let such an eternal masterpiece as the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" be buried deep underground. However, at the urging of Chu Suiliang, the then Zhongshu Ling, Gaozong finally decided. Let "The Preface to the Lanting Collection" become my father's burial object.
It was originally thought that the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" would disappear, but during the Five Dynasties period, Wen Tao, the governor of Yaozhou in the Later Liang Dynasty, robbed Zhaoling. According to the "New History of the Five Dynasties Wen Tao Biography", after Wen Tao entered Zhaoling, On the stone bed in the east and west compartments where Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was sleeping, an iron box was found, which was full of precious calligraphy and paintings. Wen Tao took them all away without saying a word.
If we follow the records in "New History of the Five Dynasties", the original "Preface to the Lanting Collection" should have fallen into Wen Tao's hands. However, according to the list of items stolen by Wen Tao recorded by later generations, it stands to reason that The news of Wen Tao's acquisition of this treasure should have spread. "At least we should have ordered someone to make a few rubbings, but later generations did not find any rubbings of Wen Tao's "Preface to the Lanting Collection"." A local researcher in Shaanxi Province It is believed that Wen Tao should not have obtained the "Preface to the Lanting Collection".
In 1984, when the Liangjia Archway on West Street in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province was demolishing the old house, four rubbings of the Yuan Dynasty's "Lanting Preface" were accidentally discovered under the eaves. The fourth rubbing contained two chapters. One of the postscripts was written by Cai Ting of the Song Dynasty. He pointed out in the postscript that when the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" was buried with him, it was replaced by a fake copy by Li Shimin's sister, and the original copy remains in the world. As for who Li Shimin's sister refers to, Cai Ting did not explain much, and subsequent historical documents did not record it. Cai Ting's postscript gradually became an unsolved case.
Since Tang Taizong’s sisters might have pulled off Bao’s trick, wouldn’t it be more likely that Tang Gaozong, his successor, would succeed? Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was also an emperor who loved calligraphy and painting. His attainments in this area even surpassed that of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. How could such an art-loving person not be moved by the "Preface to the Lanting Collection"? Think about it, Tang Gaozong's beloved Wu Zetian only married after Tang Taizong's death. She was not afraid of gossiping about her father's love for a daughter. How rare is it for Tang Gaozong to find a "Preface to the Lanting Collection"? It is because of this that the Shaanxi Archaeological Institute boldly speculates that the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" is most likely buried in the Qianling Mausoleum.
Although there are different opinions, Hu Yansizheng, a reporter from the Xi'an Evening News in mainland China who has long been concerned about the whereabouts of "The Preface to the Lanting Collection", believes that the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" should still be in the Zhaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. "With the technology and lighting equipment at that time, it was impossible for Wen Tao to completely take away the treasures from Zhaoling. Although the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" was not found in his list, in the history of future generations, the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" was also It has never appeared again, so the possibility that "Lanting Collection Preface" is still in Zhaoling is very high."
It was reduced to ashes?
In addition to not being buried with Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, some people believe that the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" obtained by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty through trickery is not authentic at all. This story is narrated in one of the film works "The Affair" by the great director Li Hanxiang. In the story, Xiao Yi, the supervisory censor sent by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, deceived Master Biancai, a descendant of Wang Xizhi, and obtained the "authentic" "Preface to the Lanting Anthology". However, when he finally returned to the palace, he discovered that he had been tricked by Biancai. when.
Although this is just the plot of a movie, some people believe that such an ending is not unreasonable. "The descendants of the Wang family should all face the dilemma of being asked to hand over the "Preface to the Lanting Anthology", so naturally Developed a way to deal with it." The Shaanxi Archaeological Institute believes that Xiao Yi may have been deceived by Biancai. "Wang Xizhi's descendants Zhiyong and his disciple Biancai copied the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" thousands of times, and it was almost unreal. To the extent that Xiao Yi and Tang Taizong mistakenly believed that their copying was the original work, it is very possible.
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So, is it possible that the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" is still stored in Yongxin Temple where Bencai lived? However, Yongxin Temple was repeatedly robbed by soldiers later, and after the recognition of talents, the Wang family had no descendants. If the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" was really stored in Yongxin Temple, it would most likely be reduced to ashes due to war and turmoil.
The authenticity of the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" has always been a hot topic in the art world, but even if the controversy continues, everyone agrees that "The Preface to the Lanting Collection" is a superior calligraphy work and its artistic value is worthy of It will be passed down to future generations forever.
Qianling is the answer
Where is the authentic copy of "Preface to the Lanting Collection"? Now everyone's eyes are on Qianling, as if Qianling is the final solution to the unsolved mystery of "The Preface to the Lanting Collection".
However, the excavation of Qianling Mausoleum is still far away. "The State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Shaanxi Cultural Relics Bureau have reached a consensus that the Qianling Mausoleum will not be excavated in the future." Huyan Sizheng said that for at least the next 30 years, the mainland authorities will not take any action against the Qianling Mausoleum.
"Because after excavation, maintenance and storage will be a big problem." Huyan Sizheng said that there are too many things in Qianling Mausoleum and they are too precious. Not only can these precious cultural relics be easily damaged during the excavation process, After excavation, these cultural relics are more likely to be damaged due to poor protection. "Unless the archaeological institute speculates that there is a crisis of collapse or damage inside the Qianling Mausoleum, emergency excavation and rescue will be possible. Otherwise, there will be no Excavation plans and actions."
From this point of view, "The Preface to the Lanting Collection" will still be the favorite unsolved case of historians, dreamers, and novelists. As for whether the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" will be in Qianling? We can only wait and see if history is willing to share this truth with us.
The "Preface to the Lanting Collection" was collected and passed down from generation to generation by the Wang family, and came into the hands of the seventh generation Sun Zhiyong, who passed it on to monk Biancai. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who was fond of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, found out about this, he immediately sent someone to summon Cai Cai to go to the palace and ask for it. However, Bencai deduced that the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" had gone through turmoil and its location is now unknown. In order to obtain the authentic copy of "The Preface to the Lanting Collection", Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty sent Xiao Yi, the supervisory censor, to obtain it. Xiao Yi dressed up as a down-and-out scholar and became like-minded friends with Bancai. One day, Xiao Yi claimed that he had learned calligraphy from Wang Xizhi and Xian Zhi from his ancestors, and showed the collection he carried, and stimulated Biancai with words. Biancai finally took down the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" from the beam on the roof for the sake of the reputation of his ancestors. Let Xiao Yi appreciate it. After Xiao Yi learned where the "Preface to the Lanting Anthology" was stored, he took the "Preface to the Lanting Anthology" while Bencai was out. After Bencai learned that he had been deceived, he could not get it back, and finally died in depression.
Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works are very rich. It is said that Emperor Wu of Liang collected 15,000 pieces of his calligraphy works, Taizong of Tang Dynasty had 3,600 pieces, and Huizong of Song Dynasty preserved 243 pieces of his calligraphy works. At present, there are not many ink prints handed down from generation to generation, and none of the original ones have survived. In addition to "Lanting Preface", the famous ones include "Guannu Tie", "Seventeen Tie", "Two Xie Tie", "Fengju Tie", "Auntie's Tie", "Kuaixueshiqing Tie", "Le Yi Lun", "Huang Ting Jing", etc. His famous cursive calligraphy work "Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie" with Tang hooks and hooks is currently collected in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.