Wang, the seventh grandson of Wang Xizhi, is a direct descendant of Wang's calligraphy. He can not only strictly abide by the family law and inherit Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, but also carry forward the past and open up a new style of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty.
Wang became a monk in his early years, so he was called a wise and brave monk. He later went to Yongxin Temple in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, where he lived for 30 years. Here, the wise and brave monk lives in seclusion, and every day is the copybook of his ancestor Wang Xizhi, which has never stopped. He thought that his calligraphy skill was far inferior to that of his ancestors, so he vowed that "the book will not be finished and he will not go downstairs."
Zhiyong prepared several big baskets at home. When he practiced writing, when his words became bald, he took them down and threw them into the basket. After a long time, the broken pen actually accumulated several baskets. Later, Zhiyong dug a deep pit in the open space in front of Yongxin Temple window and collected those broken pens and buried them here.
Brief introduction of Wang Xizhi:
Wang Xizhi (303-36 1 year) was born in Linyi (now Linyi City, Shandong Province). Minister and calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, son of Yin in Danyang, son-in-law of Jane, known as "Book Sage".
With the help of the shadow in the door, he became an official, serving as a doctor, a secretariat of Jiangzhou, a satrap of Huiji, and a general of the right army, known as "Wang Youjun" in history. In the ninth year of Yonghe (353), he organized the Lanting Elegant Collection. His Preface to Lanting Collection became the best running script in the world. In the 11th year of Yonghe (355), he claimed to be ill, abandoned his official position and moved to Shaoxing Jinting. He died in the fifth year of Shengping (36 1) and was buried in Jinting Waterfall Mountain.