30/11/25. 3 min read
At the Orchard Pavilion, Holy Land of Calligraphy, Shaoxing city, China
Writers need inspiration. They need to be moved emotionally by people, situations and stories around them.
I have decided to write about the relevancy and lessons learned from my experiences. If it is of value to readers, then it is a purpose well served.
ShaoXing city 绍兴 is 20 minutes away by high speed train from Hangzhou. I have the good fortune to be inspired there. ShaoXing is known for her famous traditional cooking wine and cultural literati.
One of the most famous personalities is Wang Xizhi . He is to Chinese calligraphy what Shakespeare is to poetry and Da Vinci is to painting.
He was known as the Sage of Calligraphy in the 4th century during the Eastern Jin dynasty. His works had inspired many later generations of Calligraphers. Even Emperors collected his works and learned from his craft. Wang Xizhi’s art form involved various styles and he had excelled in all the scripts.
Works of Emperor KangXi and grandson, Emperor Qianlong(back) engraved on the same Steele. They were avid practitioners of Calligraphy and ardent collectors of Wang’s works.
Wang Xizhi was unique as he had breathed life and motions into the written words. It does not matter if I cannot read the inscriptions fully. Nor was I particularly interested in this skill until now.
I am greatly impressed by his spirit that went into the work he had created. For Calligraphy is not only an art. It involves discipline, grit and creativity.
Wang xizhi dedicated himself to learning Calligraphy from a young age, constantly training. Even without a brush, he would use his fingers to write on his clothes.
He practised so much that washing his brushes in a nearby pond turned it black.
His keen observation of nature led him to mimic the movement of geese that gave him insight into the fluidity and control of his brush strokes especially the semi cursive style.
Geese pond, Lanting, Shaoxing city
His most famous work is Lantingjixu or Preface to the Orchard Pavillion, in which he described a gathering of scholars and poets at the Orchid Pavilion, where they engaged in a poetry competition.
Cups of wine were floated down the winding water and when it stopped, the person next to it would drink wine and write poetry.
The poems were collected and made into a poetry anthology and Wangxizhi’s preface became the masterpiece of Chinese Calligraphy.
The stream where the preface to “poetry Anthology “ was created
This art is like meditation that builds character, no pun intended. You need patience, focus and calmness to indulge in this art. It connects one to the past which is a rich culture ans heritage of China.
Wang Xizhi’s legacy lives on today through his masterful works, which have inspired generations of calligraphers and art lovers alike.
We learn from him Character building through his art.
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