Wang Xizhi (303–361) was a Chinese calligrapher, traditionally referred to as the Sage of Calligraphy. He excelled in every script but particularly in that of the semi-cursive variety.

Wang Xizhi began by mastering the zheng (regular) style calligraphy, under which the Chinese ideograms were written in symmetrical blocks. As Wang grew older, he began to develop his own style of writing.

It has been said by many that Wang Xizhi's xing (walking) style of calligraphy breathed life and motion into the written words.

As its name suggests, xing calligraphy is a more flowing style of writing, allowing the writer to express his feelings and his moods through the brush.

Unfortunately, not a single original piece by Wang Xizhi has survived the test of time. The 21 existing pieces by Wang Xizhi are all copies made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The copies were created during the reign of Emperor Taizong (reigned 627-650 AD), who loved Wang’s works and sought Wang's calligraphy across the nation. Fortunately for us today Taizong asked master calligraphers in his court to make duplicates.

Of the 21 known pieces in existence, seven are in the collection of the Taipei Palace Museum, seven are in museum collections on the mainland, five are in Japanese collections, one is at Princeton University in the United States, and one has disappeared.

Some of Wang’s best writings were preserved on carved stone tablets. Stone rubbings taken from them have been reproduced and reprinted widely. Generations of students have also studied and used these rubbings as examples to learn and practice the art of calligraphy.

Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion

Written in 353 AD, Reign of Yong He, East Jin Dynasty, this piece is also known as “Lanting Xu”, or “Lanting JiXu”. It was both composed and hand-written by Wang Xizhi and is his most famous work. Now collected in the Forbidden City, it is a preface of a collection of poems written by a number of poets.

On the day when it was produced, the calligrapher and a group of 41 relatives and friends were gathering at the Orchid Pavilion near the town of Shaoxing for the Spring Purification Festival. The people sat by the two sides of a stream. Little cups of wine were then floated downstream. When a cup stopped in front of anyone, that person was required to compose a poem. Those who failed to do so were made to drink the wine as forfeit. At the end of the day, 26 of the participants had to compose a total of 35 poems. Much wine had also been consumed in the process.

Calligraphic Works of Wang Xizhi

“Mei Zhi Tie”, the 25.3cm long by 5.3cm wide hanging scroll, is a Tang Dynasty copy featuring 17 characters drawn by Wang Xizhi. It is now preserved in Japan. In 2007, with a reserve price of HK$24 million ($3.1 million) in an auction in Hong Kong, the auction of this piece, owned by a Japanese collector then, went abortive in the end. “Mei Zhi Tie” is the only piece by Wang Xizhi to ever appear on the open market.

The good company and the strong wine put Wang Xizhi in such a happy mood that he took up his brush and, there and then, wrote the “Lan Ting Xu” as a prelude to the collection of poems. It is said that Wang Xizhi tried to reproduce the Prelude nearly 100 times several days later, but he was never able to match his spontaneous calligraphy of that day.

The original “Lan Ting Xu”, which is considered the greatest masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy in history, was subsequently acquired by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. He liked it so much that he ordered his court's calligraphers to make copies of it. When he died, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy was buried with him. Now the original is lost, but there are a number of fine tracing copies and rubbings.

Shang Yu Tie

"Shang Yu Tie", now a Shanghai Museum collection, includes 58 characters in cursive script. It was a letter by Wang Xizhi written to a relative, telling of his health and the recent activities of some acquaintances. Wang Xizhi's style was in a stage of transition while writing it. It shows that some traditional brushstrokes were abandoned and novel techniques were taking shape.

Although it is a reproduction from the Tang Dynasty, it still manages to express the interior soul of the original piece. The seal stamps and inscriptions for collections made by royal families during the Southern Tang (937-975 AD) and Northern Song (960-1127 AD) Dynasties and of other periods occur on both sides, revealing that it gained popular appreciation.

Mei Zhi Tie

Calligraphic Works of Wang Xizhi

Much of Wang's work was in Japan because the country sent more than 10 missions to China in Tang Dynasty, and in turn brought back to Japan many cultural artifacts, including several copies of Wang Xizhi's works. The famous Chinese monk Jianzhen (688-733 AD) also sailed to Japan with copies of Wang's calligraphy. “Mei Zhi Tie” was acquired by its current owner's family in the early part of last century in Japan. However, it was not shown to the public until 1973, at an exhibition in the Gotoh Museum in Japan.

Ritual to Pray for Good Harvest

This is a Tang Dynasty tracing copy, now held in the Art Museum of Princeton University in the United States. Owing to the now obscure references they contain, many of Wang's letters are no longer fully intelligible. In “Ritual to Pray for Good Harvest”, Wang appears to refer to a ritual sacrifice conducted by a friend and inquires about the political intentions of this person's followers.

This tracing copy of the letter preserves only the first half of Wang Xizhi's original text, and probably dates from the early Tang Dynasty. Although this tracing copy remains one step removed from the original artifact, yet because no authentic work by Wang survives, it was highly prized by later collectors, including emperors, whose numerous inscriptions and seals surround the remaining two columns of characters with a total of fifteen characters written in cursive script.

At one point it was in the collection of the Northern Song period Huizong emperor (reigned 1101–25 AD), whose "slender-gold" script calligraphy in faint gold ink appears on a title strip to the upper right corner of the letter. Labels and numerous colophons by the Ming Dynasty calligrapher Dong Qichang (1555–1636 AD), the Qing Dynasty Qianlong emperor (reigned 1736–95 AD), and others were later added, surrounding the letter. As stated in one of Dong Qichang's colophons, because of its rarity, impeccable provenance, and value to understanding the Wang Xizhi tradition, "These two lines are worth more than thirty-thousand other scrolls."