Wang Xizhi (303-361), courtesy name Yishao and Danzhai, was originally from Linyi, Langya (now Shandong), and later moved to Shanyin (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). He was a calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China. The title of saint. He was a noble member of the Wang clan who moved south to Langya. He later became a general of the Right Army and was known as Wang Youjun. He studied under Mrs. Wei and Zhong Yao. He is the author of "Preface to the Lanting Collection".
My grandfather Wang Zheng was Shang Shulang. His father, Wang Kuang, was the governor of Huainan. When Wang Xizhi was seven years old, he learned calligraphy from the calligrapher Wei Shuo. When Yu Yi was in Jingzhou, he saw people competing to imitate Wang Xizhi's calligraphy style. He disapproved and said: "Children are cheap chickens and love wild ducks. They all learn from (Wang) Yi Shao's calligraphy. They must I will return it and compare it with it."
It is said that there is a small pool near Wang Xizhi's residence. After Wang Xizhi practiced calligraphy, he would wash his brushes here and practice calligraphy every day. Over time, the water in the pool turned black and he could directly dip it into it. The use of ink. When Wang Xizhi was serving as the governor of Yongjia County in Wenzhou, he wrote ink at the Mochifang in what is now Wenzhou, so there was an inkchi in front of the city hall in the old Lucheng District of Wenzhou.
After Wang Xizhi crossed to the south, he was fond of landscapes and friends. "At that time, people saw Wang Xizhi's right army, floating like clouds, and as powerful as a startling dragon." On March 3, the ninth year of Yonghe (353), he met Sun Chuo and Xu Xun, Xie Shang, Zhi Dun and others gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin for a banquet. Two years after the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" was written, because he was not reused by the imperial court, he "reported illness and left the county." Zhonglao Jinting, Shengxian County. Xu Xun learned that the Wang family lived in seclusion in Jinting, so he came from Xiaoshan to be their neighbor. He was buried in Jido Temple, Xiaojia Township.
Xizhi’s calligraphy practice transformed into Zhangcao, Bafenjincao, running script and regular script that were popular at the time. It was a peak that rose from the ground during the period of calligraphy style transformation. His calligraphy rulers and tablets are scattered among famous works such as Tang Lin's Zhufa Tie, Shiqi Tie, Japan's Sangluan, and Kong Shizhong. His son Wang Xianzhi is also a calligrapher. Xizhi once tutored Xie An of the Xie family in Chen County, and Xie An's calligraphy also became a standard.
Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang Dynasty commented on his book: "Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is majestic and powerful, like a dragon jumping over the Tianmen or a tiger lying on the Phoenix Tower."
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, praised: "Look carefully. In ancient and modern times, seal scripts have been refined and perfected, but only Wang Yi has done so! Look at his craftsmanship and the exquisiteness of the cutting. The smoke and rain are exposed, strong as if broken but still connected; It’s straight. You don’t feel tired when you play, and you don’t know the end of it when you look at it. This is just a person, and the rest are just trivial. "
Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem "Wang Youjun". Said: "You Jun is innocent by nature, and he is free and easy to live in the world. When he travels to Shanyin, he loves this good goose guest. He writes sutras in Su Su, and his pen is exquisite and immersive. After the book is finished and the goose is caged, he never says goodbye to his master."