Wang Xizhi has been open-minded since he was a child, and rarely worries about trivial matters. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why his calligraphy is vigorous and open, with a free and unrestrained attitude. Because of this allusion, later people used "Donggang Tanfu" and "Donggang" as good names for their son-in-law, or they called other people's sons-in-law "Lingtan".
Because of Wang Xizhi's rare reputation, the officials in the imperial court loved his talents, and he was repeatedly recruited to serve as a minister, minister of history, etc., but he refused. He doesn't like being an official and prefers to be quiet. But when he had no choice but to take up an official position, he would never remain in office. During his tenure, he expressed important and practical political opinions to Prime Minister Xie An and Yin Hao who participated in government affairs. He also opened a warehouse to provide relief to the hungry. All these show that he does not seek glory and wealth but is an upright character.
Wang Xizhi has been fond of calligraphy since he was a child. When he was young, he learned calligraphy from his aunt, Mrs. Wei, a famous female calligrapher. After crossing the river, he studied the calligraphy of senior calligraphy masters such as Li Si, Cao Xi, Zhang Zhi, Zhang Chang, Cai Yong, Zhong Yao and Liang Hu. This makes his calligraphy integrate the strengths of various calligraphy schools and become a style of its own. In addition, there are many people in his family who are good at calligraphy. His fathers, such as Wang Dao, Wang Kuang, and Wang Yi, are all masters. This also greatly helped his calligraphy learning.
Wang Xizhi has profound attainments in real calligraphy, cursive calligraphy, and all kinds of calligraphy. His real calligraphy is clever and dense, opening up a new realm; his grass is long, thick and slender; his running script is charming and vigorous. People call his calligraphy "floating like floating clouds, as powerful as a frightening dragon"; "dragon leaping over the Tianmen, tiger lying in the Phoenix Pavilion".
Wang Xizhi has many calligraphy engravings, such as "Le Yan Lun", "Huang Ting Jing", "Dongfang Shuo Painting Praise" and other regular script works, which occupy an important position in the history of ancient Chinese calligraphy. His cursive calligraphy handed down from generation to generation includes more than ten kinds of cursive calligraphy, such as "Han Qie Tie", "Auntie's Tie" and "Chu Yue Tie". Although these calligraphy treasures are copies of Tang Dynasty double outlines, they are also rare treasures. His running script "Kuaixue Shiqing Tie" has only 24 characters, and was listed as the first among "Three Xi Tie" by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
"Lanting Preface" is Wang Xizhi's most famous masterpiece. From a literary point of view, it has beautiful words and broad-minded emotions. It is a great article that will last forever. From the perspective of calligraphy, it is known as the crown of Dharma stickers and has been carefully studied by famous artists of all generations.
Wang Xizhi was also good at painting and was one of the earliest calligraphers in history who was also good at painting. His wife Xi and his seven sons are all good at calligraphy, and they are a world-famous calligraphy family, which is also rare in ancient Chinese history. In particular, his youngest son Wang Xianzhi inherited his father's learning and further created a world of originality. His calligraphy and painting are beautiful and wonderful, and he is as famous as his father and is known as the "Two Kings".