Wang Xizhi, the great calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, passed down his elegant "Preface to the Lanting Collection" to later generations, and was respected as the "Sage of Calligraphy" by calligraphers of all generations. The "Preface to the Lanting Collection" has also become a treasure in the art of calligraphy in my country. According to the "Biography of Wang Xizhi in the Book of Jin", in the eleventh year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, that is, two years after the Lanting gathering, Wang Xizhi "claimed illness and left the county" because he was not reused by the imperial court. From then on, he began his journey through the mountains and rivers. However, where did Wang Xizhi end up after he "went to the county"? Just because the historical records are unclear, historians are still inconclusive.
The first theory is that Wang Xizhi died in Zhuji Zhuluo. This statement is based on the Jiatai Kuaiji Chronicles of the Song Dynasty. The annals record that Wang Xizhi's "grave is at the foot of (Zhuluo) Mountain, with a stele. Sun Xinggong wrote it, and Prince Jing also wrote it." "Book of Jin Sun Chu Zhuan Fu Chuo" also records: "The death of Dukes Wen, Wang, Xi, and Yu must be written as an inscription, and then published on a stone." Sun Chuo and Wang Xizhi were good friends, and there are inscriptions written by Sun Chuo, and It is consistent with official historical records. At the same time, the person who presided over the compilation of "Jiatai Kuaiji Chronicles" was Lu You, a famous poet in the Southern Song Dynasty. Historically, the historical value of this Chronicle has always been highly valued. Therefore, the above records should be considered credible.
But some people have raised questions: Can the person with the surname "Wang" mentioned in the "Book of Jin" be arbitrarily determined to be Wang Xizhi? Could it possibly be Wang Xizhi's fathers Wang Kuang and Wang Yi, Kun's younger brothers Biaozhi and Xingzhi, or his nephews Huizhi, Yuezhi and others? It may even be Wang Shu and others who were "discordant" with Wang Xizhi. In other words, all the nobles and literati surnamed Wang who were friendly with Sun Chuo at that time were likely to be those with the surname "Wang". Some other scholars who believe that Wang Xizhi was born and died between 321 and 379 believe that Sun Chuo died 9 years earlier than Wang. How could Wang Xizhi ask Sun Chuo to write an inscription for him before he was alive? It can be seen that it is not credible to say that Wang Xizhi died in Zhuji Zhuluo.
The second theory is that Wang Xizhi died in Shanyin.
Shanyin is today’s Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. When Wang Xizhi moved to Shanyin, the Shaoxing Jianhu Water Conservancy Project enabled the land in Shaoxing to be better cultivated. Wang Xizhi was deeply attracted by the developed agriculture and beautiful natural scenery. There is a famous saying that goes "Walking up the mountain valley is like swimming in a mirror". In the following years, he served as the internal history of Kuaiji here. The beautiful landscape and scenery made him "cannot extricate himself", so it is reasonable for Wang Xizhi to be determined to live in Shanyin forever.
There is also a piece of historical data that can prove that Wang Xizhi died in Shanyin, that is, Zhiyong moved to Yunmen Temple. "Shaoxing County Chronicle" records that Wang Xizhi's seventh grandson and eminent monk Zhiyong in the early Sui Dynasty moved from Yongxin Temple to Yunmen Temple in order to visit his ancestor's tomb in Yunmen Mountain, Shaoxing. As a descendant of the Wang family, Zhiyong's calligraphy skills were ranked among the best at that time. Volume 17 of "Xuanhe Shupu" records the evaluation of later generations on his calligraphy: "With Xi Zhi as his teacher, he has a strong and horizontal brushwork, both real and cursive, and has an ancestral style." As a calligrapher, Zhiyong worshiped his ancestors. It is undoubtedly Wang Yizhi, who is known as the "Sage of Calligraphy".
Shaoxing Lanting is located in today's Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. In the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, Sun Chuo and more than ten people gathered here. While drunk, Wang Xizhi wrote the famous "Lanting Preface" post.
Some people objected to this. Dissenters pointed out that it is simply a conjecture that Wang Xizhi decided to live in Shanyin because of his fondness for Jishan and its waters. Isn't the area Wang Xizhi admired limited to Qianshanyin? The places that this person who loves landscapes also admired include today's Shengxian County, Xinchang and other places. Wouldn't it be very arbitrary to judge Wang Xizhi's "eternal life in Shanyin" based on this? As for Zhiyong, although his so-called "ancestors" may include Wang Xizhi, Zeng Yu, and other grandfathers from Zhiyong's father's generation, but because Zhiyong did not clearly explain who the "ancestors" were, it cannot be concluded based on this. The tomb mentioned is that of Wang Xizhi.
The third theory is that Wang Xizhi died in Jinting, Sheng County.