Introduction to Preface to Tang Huairen's Ci Collection

Tang Huairen's Preface to Ci Collection has been circulated once or twice, with a scale of 24.5x11.9cm.. In the 22nd year of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan reign (648), in order to praise Xuanzang's contribution to the study of Confucian classics and the translation of Confucian classics to the west, he gave the Preface to the Holy Teaching, which mentioned the deeds of Buddhism spreading to the east and Xuanzang's journey to the west. In the third year of Emperor Gaozong Xianheng (672), Huairen, a monk of Hongfu Temple in the capital, collected Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, which was carved into this monument by Zhuge Li Shen and Zhu Jingzang. It also includes the reply from Emperor Taizong, the Preface to the Sanzang Sacred Instruction by the Crown Prince (Li Zhi, later Emperor Gaozong) and the reply, and finally the Heart Sutra translated by Xuanzang. Because it was copied directly from Wang Xizhi's original work preserved in the Tang Dynasty, it kept its original appearance, and it is a model of the past dynasties.