The author of the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng: Wang Bo
The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng
"Tang Jiayan" contains: In the autumn of the second year of the Yuan Dynasty (675), Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Bo went to Jiaozhi to visit Father, when I was passing through Nanchang, I happened to catch up with the governor Yan Boyu who had newly built the Tengwang Pavilion and hosted a banquet for guests in the Tengwang Pavilion during the Double Ninth Festival. Wang Bo went to visit him. Governor Yan had heard of his reputation and invited him to attend the banquet. Governor Yan hosted this banquet to show off his son-in-law, Bachelor Meng, to everyone. Ask the son-in-law to prepare a preface in advance and write it as an impromptu composition during the dinner for everyone to read. At the banquet, Governor Yan asked people to take out paper and pen, pretending to invite everyone to write a preface for this grand event. Everyone knew his intention, so they all declined to write. However, Wang Bo, a young man in his twenties, did not refuse, took the pen and paper, and started writing in public. The boss of Governor Yan was not happy. He stood up from his clothes, transferred it to the account, and asked others to see what Wang Bo had written. When I heard that Wang Bo wrote at the beginning "The old county of Yuzhang, the new mansion of Hongdu", the governor said: It's just a cliché. He also heard that "the stars are divided into wings, and the ground is connected to Henglu", and he was silent. When he heard that "the setting clouds and solitary owls are flying together, the autumn water is the same color as the sky", the governor had to admire and said: "This true genius should be immortal!" "The Biography of Talented Scholars of the Tang Dynasty" recorded: "Bo Xinran was delighted with this. The guests were able to cook the goblet in an instant, without adding any words, and the whole audience was shocked. "The records in "Tang Zhayan" and other books may be a bit exaggerated, but Wang Bo's "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" is indeed an immortal masterpiece. The story about Wang Bo's "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" at the banquet of Governor Yan in Nanchang is actually the most touching story in the history of Chinese literature. [11]