First, the admiration of emperors of past dynasties made Wang Xizhi embark on the throne of a book saint.
1. Liang Wudi, the earliest emperor who paid attention to Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
The establishment of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy status has its evolution process. At first, at a disadvantage, calligraphy was "invincible". Later, the title of the book became more and more popular, and more and more people learned the king, which caused dissatisfaction. However, at that time, Yu Yi could not reverse the trend of learning from Wang Zi. Later, his views on Wang Xizhi changed and he expressed his "admiration". Calligraphers in Taishigong period of Southern Song Dynasty said in the book list: "Han, Wei, Zhong (Yao) and Zhang (Zhi) were good at beauty, and the two kings were called English at the end of Jin Dynasty." Comparing the calligraphy of the right army with that of the ancient sages, I think the cover of the famous book at that time was as beautiful as that of Zhong Zhang. Yuan Ang, a painter of the Liang Dynasty, said in the Book Review of Ancient and Modern Times: "The wonder of Zhang Zhi, the unique of Zhong You, is the best in life." Combine the four sages. Wang Xianzhi was once pushed by the highest calligrapher during the Song and Qi Dynasties. Committed to learning books from his father, he was very talented and innovative, and transferred to Zhang Zhi, creating a cursive script. He is even more charming than his father, and he is called "two kings" with his father. Liang Tao Hongjing's "On Books" says: "Compared with the world, children respect books" and "Being in the world, being ignorant without being, being also". At that time, it almost became Wang Xianzhi's world. What changed this situation was Liang Wudi Xiao Yan's admiration for Wang Xizhi.
Xiao Yan (464 ~ 549) was a calligrapher in the Southern Dynasties. He was the founder of the Southern Liang Dynasty in China, and was called Liang Wudi. Liang Wudi, after Wang Xizhi 100 years, may be the first emperor to pay attention to Wang Xizhi's calligraphy in history. It can be said that the Liang Dynasty witnessed the first climax of learning from Wang Xizhi. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, emperors such as Liang Wudi, Sima Yan, Yuan Di, Song, Qi, Sima Yan were all good at calligraphy, among which calligraphy was the most successful. Liang Wudi changed the order of calligraphy from "Wang Xianzhi-Wang Xizhi-Zhong You" to "Zhong You-Wang Xizhi-Wang Xianzhi". In "Twelve Notes on Zhong You's Calligraphy", Yanyun Jr. said: "There are not a few people who respect their children without being lazy." Although Wang Xizhi still lags behind Zhong You, he has surpassed Wang Xianzhi, which is a great change. Xiao Yan's position makes his comments particularly attractive. In addition, Liang Yu Jianwu's Calligraphy in the Southern Dynasties also listed Wang Xizhi's calligraphy as "above", so public opinion reached a conclusion.
During the period of Liang Wudi, some people imitated Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. At that time, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy hidden in the Forbidden City had been mixed with many fakes. Liang Wudi has collected more than15,000 "calligraphy of the two kings", but there are only a few left. Liang Wudi and Tao Hongjing are diligent in writing books, discussing Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and its authenticity. On the one hand, Liang Wudi sorted out and appraised Wang Xizhi's calligraphy handed down from the previous dynasty to distinguish authenticity; On the other hand, he copied a lot of Mo Bao, which was regarded as the original, and provided it to the children of the royal family as a model for learning books. Zhi Yong's "On the Right Army's Music and Easy" records that Wang Xizhi's "On Music and Easy" "Liang Chu, the world is precious, and he has to learn from Xiao and Ruan. "
Liang Wudi said: "Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is vigorous and free, like a dragon leaping into the sky, like a tiger lying in a phoenix nest, so it will always be a motto to be treasured from generation to generation." This sentence later became an important basis for later generations to evaluate Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
Liang Wudi's concern for Wang Xizhi made a good start for later emperors to Rainbow Xizhi and Lanting Preface, which I think is very important.
Echi (Shaoxing)
2. The key figure who pushed Wang Xizhi to the position of a book saint-Emperor Taizong
The climax of the second study of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy was in the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong highly praised Wang Xizhi, not only collecting Wang Xizhi's law books extensively, but also personally writing praises for Wang Xizhi's Biography of the Book of Jin. When he commented on Zhong You, he said that he was "full of goodness or suspicious of goodness", but when he presented it, he belittled his "calligraphy disease". As for other calligraphers, such as Ziyun, Wang Meng and Yan Xu, he said that he was "over praised". Through extensive comparison, Emperor Taizong thought that the right army was "perfect". "I am eager to pursue this person, and the rest is nothing more than that. What is enough!" In fact, before the Book of Jin was published, Ou Yangxun commented on Wang Xizhi in On Pen: "Being the best in the world, only one right-wing military worker escaped." It is exactly the same as the evaluation of Wang Xizhi in The Biography of Wang Xizhi. After Emperor Taizong, the grandson of the Tang Dynasty commented on Wang Xizhi in Shu Pu: "Chang Yuan (Zhong You) is good at official script, and Bo Ying (Zhang Zhi) is especially good at cursive script; The other is beauty and leisure. " Wang Xizhi has both the beauty of Zhong You's official script and Zhang Zhi's cursive script. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Sizhen's "The Book after" said: "The right army is upright ... It can be said that the book is sacred. If the grass is mixed ... it can be said that the grass is holy. " Its flying white is also ... a fairy fluttering in white. "Clearly called Wang Xizhi" book saint ". It can be seen that Tang Taizong's evaluation is not his own point of view, but because he is the emperor, and his influence is particularly great.
Emperor Taizong's love for Wang Xizhi can be fully reflected in the story of Xiao Yi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion. Preface to the Lanting Pavilion has always been a family heirloom of Wang, and later the original work flowed to Wang Xizhi's seventh grandson for use. And Zhiyong passed it on to his disciples. It is said that Emperor Taizong asked Cai Bian for the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion three times, but he denied it again and again, and Emperor Taizong was helpless. Later, Xiao Yi, who was resourceful, used clever tricks to induce discerning people to show the original Preface to Lanting, thus obtaining it and dedicating it to Emperor Taizong. Emperor Taizong got the Preface to Lanting and couldn't put it down. He ordered great calligraphers Chu Suiliang, Yu Shinan, to copy, and after copying, he gave it to the king, and it spread from then on. But he hid the original in the dark and refused to give up after his death, so he wanted to be buried in Zhaoling. Since then, Wang Xizhi's masterpiece has become a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation, which has increased people's sense of distance and mystery about the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, leaving a series of mysteries for future generations, which may be a regret in the book world and a good thing for Wang Xizhi.
Since ancient times, emperors have always done whatever they want. Influenced by Emperor Taizong, Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, Xue Pan, Yan Zhenqing and other calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty were all influenced by Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, so there are some sayings, such as "Yu Shinan got his charm", "Ou Yangxun got his strength", "Chu Suiliang got his meaning" and "Xue Pan got his right army feeling". Emperor Taizong loved Wang Xizhi's calligraphy better than Liang Wudi's. He not only learned Wang's calligraphy by himself, but also learned Wang Xizhi's calligraphy step by step. You see, the inscription on Jinci written by him is basically the right-handed word of "peace of mind, no stimulation, no stimulation". In addition, he also offered a reward for the collection of "Two Kings Calligraphy" works. According to historical records, Emperor Taizong collected 2290 calligraphy works in the palace, among which Wang Xizhi's calligraphy traces are the most. He also called Chu Suiliang as his assistant, used him again, and sorted out and appraised the calligraphy of the right army. Let Shi Huairen collect Wang Zi and integrate his own Preface to the Holy Teaching, and let famous calligraphers and subjects in the early Tang Dynasty learn Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, so that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has been widely valued by the society since then.
3. The Emperor of Song Dynasty contributed a lot to this.
Since Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin launched the mutiny in Chen Qiao and established the Song Dynasty, the chaotic situation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries split for half a century ended and the country was reunified. From 960 to 1279, the development of calligraphy was relatively slow for more than 300 years, but it was very important for Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
Song Taizong people, who attached great importance to calligraphy, bought the ink of the ancient emperors and ordered them to be engraved on jujube boards, which were divided into ten volumes. This is the post of Chunhua Pavilion. At that time, every minister in North Korea got a rubbings. Chunhua Pavilion Post is the first famous French post in China, ranging from Emperor Gaozu Zhang to other famous ministers, half of which are works by Wang Xizhi. Therefore, in the early Song Dynasty, calligraphy followed the legacy of Emperor Taizong's "Two Kings", which can be seen in Chunhua Pavilion Post. The wide spread of Getie promoted the development of calligraphy art in Song Dynasty, formed the calligraphy tradition in China's calligraphy history, and had a great influence on the calligraphy history of later generations, among which Song Taizong and Zhao Guangyi contributed greatly.
Emperor Gaozong once offered filial piety in Preface to Lanting, and wrote in the postscript: "Five hundred copies must be offered in turn." Filial piety calligraphy and Gaozong calligraphy are not easy to distinguish, not without reason.
Once said: "Yu" is a copy from Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Six Dynasties. Or a junior, or thin, or vigorous, or different, many bodies are prepared in the pen, and the meaning is still simple. Even if the "rough iron" is measured, the benefits are deep and the benefits drawn up are strict. "Don't make up the original posture, draw a detailed picture, or even recite it, many people will miss it." (3) From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Six Dynasties, Song Gaozong studied everything, which shows that he studied very hard. "Every time you get a correct army or a few lines, or figures, you don't care. At first, if you eat it in your mouth, your throat will be less sweet. In the end, if you eat olives, the taste will last longer. " For 50 years, pen and ink have been invested every day, unless huge interests hinder each other. (4) He also has a special liking for Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, which is the best running script in the world. He is "vivid, even chanting, and more in his arms" (5), reaching the point that no matter how big or small people are, they can be "freely adapted" and "quite interesting". The Imperial Book Preface to Lanting is a book, and the stone tablet is placed in Zhang Tian Temple in SongLanting. From extensive copying to specializing in Preface to Lanting, he is not like an emperor, but like a professional calligrapher, with his extensive traditional skills and persistent spirit of learning books.
Although Song Gaozong specializes in the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, he once boldly questioned the authority of calligraphy and never believed in it. He thinks that He Yannian's remarks about Wang Xizhi's writing "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" are excessive, and that "I woke up and wrote hundreds of books, but nothing was the same". He thinks that Wang Xizhi's other calligraphy works are not necessarily inferior to the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, except that these letters with "a few lines of crosses" are like "an inch of Pian Yu is easy to hit", while the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion is "more words than his books, if it is thousands of feet brocade", which is unforgettable.
Song Gaozong's significance in the history of China's calligraphy lies not only in his calligraphy level, but also in his advocacy and influence on the calligraphy style of the Southern Song Dynasty. He collected famous ancient calligraphy posts and paintings lost in Xuanhe Neifu due to the war, and personally advocated people to learn calligraphy. He believes that "a scholar is good at calligraphy, and if he is not so diligent about Chi, he will have a place to paint and be shameless." He himself was good at learning the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, so he gave it to the princes and ministers of North Korea and invited Song Xiaozong to study books. For a time, the Southern Song Dynasty almost set off a climax of learning books, centering on Gaozong and Wang Xizhi and Preface to Lanting.
Su, Huang, Mi, Cai and Su Dongpo "studied Lanting in Japan" when they were young, but Cai Jing found it "difficult for the right army to learn" in his later years. They not only follow the law of two kings, but also break superstitions, pursue individuality and lead the trend. Huang even warned people at that time that "Lanting is a true calligraphy school, but it is not necessary to take one stroke and one painting as the key link", and proposed that "those who have studied should always use the word" Lanting "to make the literati more taboo and vulgar." This is also in line with the principle that Emperor Gaozong is not superstitious about the two kings.
Jiang Kui loves Preface to Lanting, studies it every day and often attaches what he has learned to it. There is a postscript saying: "I have studied Lanting for more than 20 years, and I have gained something by looking at it under the light tonight." It took more than 20 years to be introduced, which shows the subtle difficulty in interpreting the Preface to Lanting and the diligence of scholars in Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
Because so many emperors in the Song Dynasty attached great importance to Wang Xizhi and the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, at that time, there was a situation that every family in the scholar-bureaucrat family had carved stones from the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, and the Prime Minister You Shi alone collected hundreds of versions of the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion (the carved stones from the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province are still preserved on the inner wall of the Wang Youjun Temple). This is a unique phenomenon in the history of calligraphy, which is even worse than that in the period of Emperor Taizong.
In the history of calligraphy in China, only those who advocate one-person calligraphy with the respect of emperors, other calligraphers are not so lucky. Since then, Wang Xizhi's supreme position in the history of calligraphy has been established and consolidated. In my opinion, by the Song Dynasty, Wang Xizhi had been promoted to the position of a "book saint". After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, he just inherited the legacy of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
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4. The charm of Ming and Qing emperors
The Ming Dynasty is another period of advocating iron blood after the Song Dynasty. Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Judy, the founding emperor, loved writing and books. He once asked for a place of good books from all directions to write the imperial edicts and special proclamations. All of these people were awarded the official position of the Chinese calligrapher, and 28 of them were selected to study the calligraphy of the two kings. All the ancient and modern calligraphy books hidden in the secret house were for them to copy and enjoy. Injong Zhu Gaochi also paid attention to calligraphy in his spare time, and once gave Shen Du a post "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion". Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji and Xiaozong Zhu Youtang loved Shen Du's books, while Shen Du's books came from Wang Xizhi. God lived in Zhu Yijun. When he was a teenager, his calligraphy was full of vitality. After he acceded to the throne, he often took Wang Xianzhi's "Duck Head Pill Post" and enjoyed it at will.
After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, although Manchu was designated as the national language, it was still dominated by Chinese culture, and the calligraphy of several emperors was also elegant.
The emperor shunzhi claimed to be "still in Huang Ting and a legacy". Emperor Kangxi's love for Dong Qichang's calligraphy dates back to Wang Xizhi. Sometimes he will read the Preface to Lanting several times. He once wrote Preface to Lanting Collection for Preface to Lanting Collection, and erected a monument in Lanting by Xerox. This monument is nearly 6.86 meters high and 2.64 meters wide. The preface to Lanting does not lose the meaning of the right army, and the 20 words "zhi" are also written in different ways without repetition.
Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy, which Emperor Qianlong liked, is also Wang Xizhi's calligraphy style. In the forty-four years of Qianlong, Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting Collection, Liu Gongquan's Preface to Lanting Collection and Xihongtang Post copied by Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang and Feng Chengsu in the Tang Dynasty were engraved on Liu Gongquan's Preface to Lanting Collection. Yu Minzhong made up the missing part of Liu Gongquan's Preface to Lanting Collection in Xihongtang, and Dong Qichang imitated Liu Gongquan's Preface to Lanting Collection. The eight-column volume of the First Ming is divided into eight volumes, each of which has the title of official script and the second title. Ishihara is placed in Yuanmingyuan. He also dedicated a room as "Sanxi Hall", with Wang Xizhi's "Quick Snow and Clear Post", Wang Xianzhi's "Mid-Autumn Post" and Wang Xun's "Yuan Bo Post" as his life.
Compared with the Tang and Song emperors who took Wang Xizhi directly from France, the Ming and Qing emperors took Wang Xizhi's disciples and grandchildren from France, and their character has dropped a lot, so the calligraphy in that period as a whole declined.