A short story about a famous calligrapher is the story of Wang Xizhi dyeing a pond black. In a letter to a friend, Wang Xizhi wrote that Zhang Zhi practiced calligraphy in the pond water, and even the pond water turned black. If people also put in such deep efforts to practice, they may not be able to catch up with Zhang Zhi.
From then on, Wang Xizhi wrote quickly every day. After finishing writing, he went to the pool in front of his home to rinse his pen. Over time, the water in the pool turned black, and people called the pool "Mochi".
According to records, Wang Xizhi has his ink pool in Lanting, Shaoxing, where he lived, Xincheng Mountain in Linchuan, Jiangxi, Jigu Mountain in Yongjia, Zhejiang, and Guizong Temple in Lushan, Jiangxi.
A short story about a calligrapher
Yan Zhenqing was a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. In order to learn calligraphy, Yan Zhenqing first learned from Chu Suiliang, and later became a disciple of Zhang Xu. Zhang Xu was the leading calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. He could write in various handwritings and was especially good at cursive script.
Yan Zhenqing hoped that under the guidance of this famous teacher, he would quickly learn the skills of writing and become famous in one fell swoop. But after becoming a disciple, Zhang Xu did not reveal any secrets of calligraphy.
He just introduced some famous calligraphy books to Yan Zhenqing, briefly pointed out the characteristics of the calligraphy books, and asked Yan Zhenqing to copy them. Sometimes, he would take Yan Zhenqing to climb mountains, swim, go to fairs, and watch plays. After returning home, he would ask Yan Zhenqing to practice calligraphy or watch him write quickly. A few months later, Yan Zhenqing couldn't get the teacher's calligraphy secrets, so he decided to ask the teacher directly.