The Lanting Xu [Chinese calligraphy]

Wang Xizhi (303–361 CE) was a renowned Chinese calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and is widely regarded as the “Sage of Calligraphy” in China. His most celebrated work is the Lanting Xu (Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion), written in 353 CE.

The Lanting Xu was composed during a spring gathering of scholars at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing, where participants drank wine from cups floating down a winding stream and composed poetry. Wang Xizhi wrote this preface spontaneously in running script (xingshu), capturing both the elegance of the moment and reflections on life and impermanence.

Although the original manuscript is lost – legend says it was buried with Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty – numerous copies and rubbings have preserved its artistic brilliance. The Lanting Xu remains one of the most influential and admired masterpieces in the history of Chinese calligraphy.

Further Reading

Emperor Taizong of Tang was an ardent enthusiast of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy. He personally wrote a eulogy for the Biography of Wang Xizhi in the Book of Jin, praising Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy as “perfection itself” and considering it unsurpassed by anyone, past or present.

To promote Wang Xizhi’s calligraphic art, Emperor Taizong also supported a significant cultural project: the Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy Collected by Huai Ren. Under the emperor’s order, the monk Huai Ren spent over twenty years meticulously selecting and assembling characters from Wang Xizhi’s numerous works preserved in the imperial collection, eventually engraving them into a stone inscription. This stele perfectly captures the essence of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphic style and became one of the best models for later generations to study his running script. Its widespread dissemination and profound influence even surpassed that of many copies.

The Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy Collected by Huai Ren is a milestone work that integrates the Buddhist culture and calligraphic art of the Tang Dynasty. Its core content revolves around Xuanzang’s journey to retrieve Buddhist scriptures and his translation efforts, as well as the imperial court’s reverence for Buddhism. The inscription primarily consists of three parts:

• Preface to the Sacred Teachings of the Great Tang Tripitaka written by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin;
• A Commentary on the Tripitaka Sacred Teachings written by Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi (while still crown prince);
• and the Heart Sutra translated by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang.