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兰亭序 Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion Strokes of genius at drinking game
June 23, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
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WRITTEN in AD 353, "Lan Ting Xu," or "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," is regarded not only as a literary gem, but also a masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy for its ethereal running script.
This work was written - both in terms of authorship and brushstrokes - by Wang Xizhi (AD 303-361), known as the "Sage of Chinese Calligraphy."
Wang's influence on Chinese calligraphy is as fundamental and far-reaching as Shakespeare's influence on the English language and English literature.
Almost every Chinese speaker has heard of "the Sage." Since his lifetime during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420), there has not been a Chinese calligrapher - professional or amateur - who has not copied Wang's calligraphy hundreds, or even thousands of times in practice.
Chinese calligraphy derives from the written Chinese language, which is composed of pictorial images.
Traditional Chinese calligraphy requires nothing more than the "Four Treasures of the Study" - a writing brush, an ink stick, an ink slab and paper.
Calligraphy in China is not only a form of art, but an integral part of Chinese culture. Today, every primary school student in the country is required to practice calligraphy.
And ever since the appearance of the unified form of written language, after China's first emperor Qin Shihuang created a united nation in 221 BC, China has produced numerous master calligraphers.
Born into a family of famous calligraphers, Wang began a systematic study of the art when only seven, first studying under the tutorship of famous female calligrapher Wei Shuo.
Wang also studied the work of earlier calligraphers. He learned kaishu (regular script) from the work of Zhong Yao (AD 151-230) and caoshu (cursive script) from the calligraphy of Zhang Zhi, who died in AD 192.
In addition, Wang traveled the country to study tablet inscriptions by famous calligraphers.
Calligraphy masterpiece "Lan Ting Xu" was created by Wang at a party he organized on the third day of the third month on the Chinese calendar in AD 353 at Lan Ting - the Orchid Pavilion - at Kuaiji Mountain near today's Shaoxing city in east China's Zhejiang Province.
A group of 41 guests gathered for the party, including Wang's younger son, Wang Xianzhi, also a renowned scholar and calligrapher.
Everyone was in high spirits because of the beautiful, sunny weather - a rare occurrence for that time of year in the area.
As well as chatting about friendships and state affairs, the group held a kind of poem-composing contest.
The 41 partygoers sat along the bank of a winding, slow-flowing streamlet, while servants placed goblets of wine on the water's surface and let them float downstream. If a goblet stopped in front of one of the group, they were required to compose a poem on the spot. If they failed, they had to down three goblets of wine as a forfeit.
By the end of the day, 11 scholars had each produced two poems, 15 had each composed one poem and the other 16 - including Wang's younger son - who had failed to come up with a poem had knocked back the wine.
Then, Wang was asked to write a preface for the 37 poems composed at the Orchid Pavilion. In high spirits, he immediately penned the famous "Lan Ting Xu" off-the-cuff, in 28 lines and 324 Chinese characters.
After several generations, "Lan Ting Xu" fell into the hands of Emperor Taizong (AD 599-649) of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), who loved it so much that he ordered several top calligraphers to copy the masterpiece.
Unfortunately, the original disappeared after the death of the emperor, and many believed it was buried with Taizong as a sacrificial object.
Although the versions of "Lan Ting Xu" we see today are copies produced by master calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty, the appeal of the masterpiece remains irresistible.
This work was written - both in terms of authorship and brushstrokes - by Wang Xizhi (AD 303-361), known as the "Sage of Chinese Calligraphy."
Wang's influence on Chinese calligraphy is as fundamental and far-reaching as Shakespeare's influence on the English language and English literature.
Almost every Chinese speaker has heard of "the Sage." Since his lifetime during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420), there has not been a Chinese calligrapher - professional or amateur - who has not copied Wang's calligraphy hundreds, or even thousands of times in practice.
Chinese calligraphy derives from the written Chinese language, which is composed of pictorial images.
Traditional Chinese calligraphy requires nothing more than the "Four Treasures of the Study" - a writing brush, an ink stick, an ink slab and paper.
Calligraphy in China is not only a form of art, but an integral part of Chinese culture. Today, every primary school student in the country is required to practice calligraphy.
And ever since the appearance of the unified form of written language, after China's first emperor Qin Shihuang created a united nation in 221 BC, China has produced numerous master calligraphers.
Born into a family of famous calligraphers, Wang began a systematic study of the art when only seven, first studying under the tutorship of famous female calligrapher Wei Shuo.
Wang also studied the work of earlier calligraphers. He learned kaishu (regular script) from the work of Zhong Yao (AD 151-230) and caoshu (cursive script) from the calligraphy of Zhang Zhi, who died in AD 192.
In addition, Wang traveled the country to study tablet inscriptions by famous calligraphers.
Calligraphy masterpiece "Lan Ting Xu" was created by Wang at a party he organized on the third day of the third month on the Chinese calendar in AD 353 at Lan Ting - the Orchid Pavilion - at Kuaiji Mountain near today's Shaoxing city in east China's Zhejiang Province.
A group of 41 guests gathered for the party, including Wang's younger son, Wang Xianzhi, also a renowned scholar and calligrapher.
Everyone was in high spirits because of the beautiful, sunny weather - a rare occurrence for that time of year in the area.
As well as chatting about friendships and state affairs, the group held a kind of poem-composing contest.
The 41 partygoers sat along the bank of a winding, slow-flowing streamlet, while servants placed goblets of wine on the water's surface and let them float downstream. If a goblet stopped in front of one of the group, they were required to compose a poem on the spot. If they failed, they had to down three goblets of wine as a forfeit.
By the end of the day, 11 scholars had each produced two poems, 15 had each composed one poem and the other 16 - including Wang's younger son - who had failed to come up with a poem had knocked back the wine.
Then, Wang was asked to write a preface for the 37 poems composed at the Orchid Pavilion. In high spirits, he immediately penned the famous "Lan Ting Xu" off-the-cuff, in 28 lines and 324 Chinese characters.
After several generations, "Lan Ting Xu" fell into the hands of Emperor Taizong (AD 599-649) of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), who loved it so much that he ordered several top calligraphers to copy the masterpiece.
Unfortunately, the original disappeared after the death of the emperor, and many believed it was buried with Taizong as a sacrificial object.
Although the versions of "Lan Ting Xu" we see today are copies produced by master calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty, the appeal of the masterpiece remains irresistible.
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