During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty was facing the initial stage of social stability. In order to establish a universal cultural model, Li Shiming proposed the policy of "Yanwu Xiuwen". And Wang Xizhi became the first choice example to unify the calligraphy style of the north and the south. When compiling "History of Jin", Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty became the only emperor in the history of our country who personally wrote the biography of a calligrapher. He described in "The Biography of Wang Xizhi": "So I have carefully studied the ancient and modern times, studied the seal script and official script, and made them perfect, but Wang Yi is the only one!" This established Wang Xizhi's status as the "Sage of Calligraphy".
"Look at his point-and-draft work. The cutting is wonderful. The smoke is dew and the shape is broken but still connected; the phoenix is ??like a dragon and the dragon is like a slant but straight." This is the best in the history of calligraphy. As the key stroke, it was his preference for Wang Xizhi that made Wang Xizhi's running script a model for later generations.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also attached great importance to this matter. At the end of the preface, he wrote, "The fear of dirty calligraphy on the gold slips, and the marking of ordinary gravel on the Pearl Forest", and he also invited relevant ministers and calligraphy experts to polish it. .
It is also very touching that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to collect Wang Xizhi's ink. In the 13th year of Zhenguan, he collected "2,290 pieces of paper, bound in thirteen volumes, and 128 volumes." "You won't be tired of playing, and you won't be able to understand the end of it. He is just imitating it with his heart. The rest are just trivial, so it doesn't matter." It can be seen that Taizong's admiration for Xizhi has reached the level of obsession.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was obsessed with Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy. This was a personal preference, but it was also a historically inevitable choice. Mr. Tang Changru summarized this in "Three Essays on the History of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in the Southern and Northern Dynasties": The changes in the academic style of the entire Tang Dynasty showed a tendency of north-southization. During the reunification of the northern and southern cultures during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, southern culture occupied a dominant position. Therefore, establishing Wang Xizhi as a model of calligraphy of the era also conformed to the trend of cultural development at that time.
Wang Xizhi was already famous in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the modern style he founded opened a new milestone in the development of running script. In the Tang Dynasty, with Li Shimin's strong support, Wang Xizhi's unshakable status as the "Sage of Calligraphy" in the history of calligraphy was established. Since authentic works are rare and rare, Wang Xizhi's rubbings, which are "second-rate to authentic works", have attracted high-ranking officials and nobles for a while. The emergence of the "Holy Religion Preface" pioneered the collection of calligraphy and engraving on stele, which more comprehensively preserved the original appearance of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and enabled Wang Xizhi's calligraphy to be widely circulated.