Emperor Taizong appreciated Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, and once wrote Wang Xizhi's biography in the Book of Jin, praising it as "perfect". I will also send copies to nobles and trusted ministers, and I will bury them with the original.
Introduction of Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting Collection.
The Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, with 28 lines and 324 words, is charming and elegant, with exquisite words and dancing, which seems to help the gods and men. It has been regarded as a masterpiece in the calligraphy circles of past dynasties. Mi Fei, a great calligrapher in Song Dynasty, called it "the first post of China's running script". Anyone who studies running script in the future will fall in love with Lanting.