The laudatory name of ancient calligraphy

At the rally, Wang Xizhi and his friends were in high spirits, drinking wine and writing poems. When he was slightly drunk, Wang Xizhi wrote the preface to Lanting Collection. Woke up the next day, Wang Xizhi was surprised to find that although this work was a draft written on a whim, its calligraphy level was very high and its brushwork was ever-changing, far exceeding his usual play. The article itself is well written and has been well received by many people. Wang Xizhi was very proud of the calligraphy and articles of Preface to Lanting and treasured them.

Perhaps it is because it has been kept by Wang's descendants. For a long time after the Eastern Jin Dynasty, few people saw the original work of Preface to Lanting, and many legends were generated around it.

According to legend, The Preface to the Collection of Lanting was handed down by the famous calligrapher Zhi Yong (the descendant of Wang) in Sui and Tang Dynasties to his apprentice, the monk who can speak. After learning this, Emperor Taizong, who loved Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, hoped to keep this precious work for himself, but the debater argued that he had never seen this calligraphy before.

So Xiao Yi, a confidant of Emperor Taizong, pretended to be a calligraphy lover and approached the eloquence, asking Xiao Yi to discuss the original works and eloquence of Wang Xizhi collected in the palace. Eloquence credulous Xiao Yi, take out the preface to the handicraftsmen and praise Xiao Yi to enjoy together. A few days later, Xiao Yi took the opportunity to cheat away this masterpiece and presented it to Emperor Taizong. This is the famous story of "Xiao Yi earned Lanting".

Of course, this story has been verified by later generations and seems to be not so reliable. Although the Preface to Lanting that we are seeing now is not the original, but a copy of Xiang Tuo in the Tang Dynasty, there is no doubt about its high level of calligraphy, so the Preface to Lanting has always been highly praised by calligraphers throughout the ages. From Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang in the Tang Dynasty, to Su Shi and Mi Fei in the Song Dynasty, and then to Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty, most famous calligraphers in China after the Tang and Song Dynasties drew nutrition from the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion.

Summary: So, where is the original work of Preface to Lanting? Legend has it that it was buried in Zhaoling, the burial place of Emperor Taizong, and it was also said that it was buried in Ganling, the burial place of Tang Gaozong. Zhaoling was stolen in the Five Dynasties, and Ganling has not been excavated so far. The whereabouts of the original preface to Lanting is still a mystery.