References from reading the preface to Lanting's Collection
1. Life is eternal. "Death and life are also big things." The importance of life and death is the same today and in ancient times, and people will always be in trouble. In fact, the passing and birth of life have a holy meaning. The end and the beginning are both a philosophy that need people to think about and face up to. Wang Xizhi said that "life and death are an illusion, and Qi Peng's death is an illusion", which definitely requires a kind of courage. He dared to face the pain of life, showed his true temperament, and sang his incomparable love and attachment to life. Yes, only by facing life and death can we love life, devote our limited life to unlimited study, work and entrepreneurship, and increase the length and thickness of our life through struggle and dedication.
2. Live an elegant life. Wang Xizhi and his friends lived in a remote and quiet place, doing frank and free things, wearing simple and concise clothes, eating light and refreshing food, singing fresh and elegant songs, and describing natural and sincere feelings. Their whole bodies are filled with a plain true flavor of life: calm, plain, unrestrained, open-minded and genuine. This is the embodiment of their elegant personality and temperament, a state of "simple life" and an "original" life sentiment. This is obviously a kind of life ideal and happiness that is "elegant but not vulgar, simple but not flashy" pursued by ancient literati and today's intellectuals.
3. Be pragmatic and truth-seeking. Just as "Gu Wen Guan Zhi" says: Wang Xizhi's emotion was "only for the scholar-bureaucrats at that time to talk about affairs, with little practical results, and for a lifetime, there was no economic strategy." The author lived in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At that time, the rulers organized Jiangdong and did not want to make progress; the scholar-bureaucrats advocated metaphysics, and the trend of simplicity was very popular. The author openly criticizes the social custom of "empty talk is a waste of work, and superficial articles hinder important matters", and he has a lot of ambition. He has the ambition to worry about the country and the people and the "urgent need" to save the country, as well as a broad-minded and enterprising attitude towards life.
4. "Lament" and "pessimism". Lamentation does not mean pessimism, and Wang Xizhi's outlook on life is not negative. The literati in the late Han, Wei and Jin dynasties had a distinctive spiritual feature, which was their strong awakening of life consciousness. This strong sense of life. This is clearly reflected in their sadness about the impermanence of human affairs and the shortness of life. However, in history, those who lamented life were often creative people, such as Li Bai, Cao Cao and others. Lamenting does not prevent them from becoming celebrities or heroes. It is precisely because they are full of persistence in life that they lament like this when facing the passage of time. Most of Wang Xizhi's articles are "negative on the surface and persistent on the inside". His outstanding achievements in calligraphy are his most persistent efforts to fight against the nihility of life.
5. Love nature. The turbulent Wei and Jin Dynasties brought people a serious sense of imbalance and depression, but the beautiful natural environment gave people a short-term tranquility and relaxation physically and psychologically. Natural landscapes suddenly became an intrinsic need of people. . People have begun to transcend the worldly world from nature and understand the principles of life while appreciating nature. At this time and place, the scenery is beautiful, the mountains and rivers are beautiful. Facing the beautiful scenery, Wang Xizhi looks up and down, feeling that everything is abundant, the universe is vast, his joy and the most true and profound rationality are beyond words. Wang Xizhi appreciates the universe of life from natural landscapes, plucks the strings of heaven and earth, and sings the powerful sound of life. This is really the ultimate in life.
6. The true meaning of beauty. All things are content to be observed quietly. To humans, natural landscapes are purely objective. They can be called "beautiful" or "ugly"; but in the eyes and delicate feelings of those who seek beauty, everything becomes smart, rich, and beautiful. Fresh, gaining a life that interprets beauty. The clear spring filtered by the light mist in the distant mountains, the clear and simple bamboo wind, the cool poetry like the bright moon, the charming calligraphy such as the winding autumn snake, the most beautiful and elegant noble taste... Everything in Lanting is beautiful. Extreme.
7. People are the most beautiful scenery. The Orchid Pavilion gathering was a great time for beautiful scenery and enjoyable events. The participants were suave, handsome, talented, and noble people, adding a lot of romance to the quiet nature. Nature is beautiful, and human noble sentiments and emotions are even more beautiful. People are the most beautiful scenery in nature! Without Wang Xizhi's affectionate reflections, without the poetry and calligraphy of "Preface to the Collection of Lanting", where would there be any trace of the civilization of Lanting forever?
8. Be straightforward and natural.
"The Biography of Wang Xizhi" records such an interesting story: Taiwei Dujian sent people to the Wang family to choose a son-in-law. Many of the Wang family's children seemed to be cautious and unnatural, but Wang Xizhi was calm and composed on the east bed, and was selected. This reflects Wang Xizhi's straightforward and natural temperament. The cheers of "It's great to believe", the sighs of "Death and life are big things", and the lamentations of "Isn't it painful!" are Wang Xizhi's true temperament, true words and true actions. He does not conceal, do not pretend, and does not avoid the issues of life and death. This is his love for life and his thorough understanding of life.
9. Spiritual origin. A person's spirit comes not only from the forest of books soaked in scheming, but also from the broader book of nature. Orchid Pavilion is the living water of Wang Xizhi’s spirit. We modern people also need to find a spiritual back garden for our souls to rest. This is a world that can polish your sentiments and moral character to crystal clarity. This is a world that can make you extraordinary, with a soul like wings and a world where you can fly freely.
10. I think, therefore I am. Orchid Pavilion is unforgettable, with its lofty mountains, lush forests and bamboos; Wang Xizhi is unforgettable, with his fluttering clothes and immortal demeanor; Wang Xizhi's "Sigh of Ancient Times" is even more unforgettable, the author can transcend the pleasure of sightseeing and wandering at that time. , realizing that happiness and self-sufficiency breeds a feeling of loss, and the pain of aging in life cannot but be said to be a kind of rational thinking and humanistic association of the value of life. It is full of dialectical thoughts of life that joy and pain are dependent on each other, and yin and yang accompany each other. It flashes out in the philosophy of life. The light of rational beauty. Lanting is immortal, Wang Xizhi is immortal, and those who are able to think wildly, be independent and open are even more immortal!
11. How to spread classic culture. In today's academic world, cultural communication is too "popular" and seems to be "kitsch". Someone wrote a song like this: "The calligraphy in Orchid Pavilion is like running clouds and flowing water. The door is pushed open under the moon, and my heart is as careful as your footsteps. I am busy with the millennium monument, but it is difficult to touch your beauty. The original work is extinct, and it is difficult to give it to anyone sincerely." The flute is playing, and there are a few plates of rice wine and side dishes. The afterglow of the sunset is as shy as yours. The copy is easy to write, and the ink is still fragrant. "Borrowing the artistic conception of ancient poems to write songs is a common creative technique. It is understandable; but the fact that the song is named "Lanting Preface" is suspected of "tampering" and "graffiti". This is not an active inheritance of the essence of classic culture.
13. Personality and life. Wang Xizhi is not an outlier among the celebrities in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but his personality is absolutely distinctive, and he can be called outstanding and maverick: he does not "talk" in a foggy manner, he is pragmatic and affectionate; he loves himself but does not kill himself, and is straightforward and not exaggerated. , he is confident but not miraculous, broad-minded and not eccentric; he has a sense of responsibility, talent, a sense of urgency, independent thinking, ideals in life, and a strong will. Personality creates the future. Independent personality and excellent quality have made Wang Xizhi's brilliant achievements and famous name through the ages.