Why can "Lanting Preface" be called the best running script in the world? What is its charm? "Lanting Preface" is called "the best running script in the world" and was proposed by Mi Fu in the Song Dynasty. Mi Fu proposed the concept of "the best running script in the world", which is directly related to the style of calligraphy in the Song Dynasty. We know that after the Tang Dynasty, regular script, running script and cursive script were mainly popular. Among them, running script is the most common form of calligraphy. Mi Fu himself is also a calligrapher famous for his running script, so it is not surprising that he admires Wang Xizhi's representative work "Lanting Preface" in running script.
Historical circles have always had their own praises for why "Lanting Preface" is "the best running script in the world". Some said it was a compliment from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, some said it was because the calligraphy was so beautiful, and some said it was because the calligraphy and writing were both outstanding. All of these opinions are reasonable. I will talk about why "Lanting Preface" is "the best running script in the world" from the perspective of the history of the development of Chinese calligraphy. My opinion is one word: super. Wang Xizhi's calligraphy transcended history and himself, creating a perfect miracle of calligraphy in the history of calligraphy.
On the whole, calligraphy in Wang Xizhi’s era was still an era of official script. However, the history of running script, cursive script and regular script has been around a hundred years. China's first calligraphy work with regular script significance was the "Ge Zuo Stele" from the Soochow period of the Three Kingdoms. Modern archaeology has also discovered that during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, part of the official script was transforming into regular script. This is the effort of individual calligraphers. Zhong Yao is a calligrapher who studies regular script. At the same time, running script and cursive script were also developing. Why are there running script and cursive script? Because writing articles with words requires that thinking and writing should be as synchronized as possible.
Whether it is official script or regular script, there is definitely no running script or cursive script that is more suitable for writing articles. An important job of a literati official is to write articles, so learning a fast writing method is a dream. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it was already a fashionable thing to like to learn calligraphy, and also like running script and cursive script. However, the calligraphy of this period was relatively "chaotic" because the individuality was too strong, and there was no calligraphy that was relatively unified and suitable for everyone. Wang Xizhi is a calligraphy fanatic, and his hobby of calligraphy has reached the point of intoxication. Moreover, he is very interested in learning calligraphy and constantly explores the true meaning and fun of calligraphy.
Wang Xizhi learned almost all calligraphy fonts and everyone's works during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. This laid a solid aesthetic foundation for his calligraphy, which has rich brushwork aesthetics. In addition, he pursues the liberation of individuality and has eclectic talents. Therefore, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is very rich and natural. It can be said that Wang Xizhi exhausted all the essence of calligraphy art in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and created a natural, smooth and vigorous calligraphy style and a new calligraphy system. In Wang Xizhi's era, the official script was also changing in an attempt to break through the constraints of the official script. However, only Wang Xizhi systematically transformed official script, running script and cursive script, brought the beauty of calligraphy to the extreme, and has led the trend of calligraphy.
With the passage of time, Chinese characters have also experienced the Southern and Northern Dynasties when official script and Wei stele were juxtaposed, but they increasingly coincided with Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, which is regular script, running script and cursive script. Only then did I realize that Wang Xizhi had done it perfectly. This is why Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is so popular. When later generations searched for this source, they discovered that Wang Xizhi was the birthplace of this source. "Lanting Preface" is the earliest and best calligraphy work in the running script system. Therefore, "Lanting Preface" is well deserved to become "the best running script in the world".