Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion"

Author: Shao Xin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This tutorial focuses on techniques, covering the strokes, radicals, structure, and composition of clerical script. It aims to make basic techniques comprehensive, microscopic, specific, and highly operational. The selected examples are highly targeted, and the accompanying text is concise and to the point.
Cursive script is a style that combines movement and stillness. Its strokes, radicals, and structure follow certain norms but are not confined by them, exhibiting distinctive variability. Therefore, cursive script can be appreciated by both the refined and the popular, perfectly blending practicality and artistry, and is deeply loved by people. Many have written cursive script throughout history, leaving behind numerous examples with varying styles, providing ample choices for later generations to learn from. However, some cursive script anthologies contain few characters, and some rubbings are and unclear, making them unsuitable for beginners. Based on this consideration, this tutorial selects three works: Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Huai Ren's Collection of Wang Xizhi's Holy Teaching Order from the Tang Dynasty, and Mi Fu's Seeds of Shu on Silk from the Song Dynasty.
This tutorial focuses on techniques, covering the strokes, radicals, structure, and composition of regular script. Its features are twofold:
1. Enhancing editorial content. From the development and justification of topics, the drafting of outlines, the selection of authors and script versions, to the design of covers and layouts, the editorial team is fully involved and actively seeks expert advice, striving to deliver high-quality content to readers.
2. Improving writing quality. This tutorial emphasizes making basic techniques comprehensive, microscopic, specific, and highly operational. The selected examples are highly targeted, and the accompanying explanations are concise and to the point.
Preface to the Orchid Pavilion is Wang Xizhi's most famous representative work, known as the "Heavenly Cursive Script," and is one of the most widely studied scripts by later generations. Since the original manuscript is buried in the Zhaoling Mausoleum, can only study it through high-quality copies or rubbings. This tutorial selects the relatively clear Feng Chengsu copy, the Shenlong version. This script employs both hidden and exposed strokes, combining square and round, firm and flexible, light and heavy, and thick and thin, all in a natural manner. Its structure is often elegant and dynamic. It may follow regular script conventions or borrow from grass script techniques, making slight modifications. The interweaving of strokes is skillful, and the interplay of strokes is evident. When practicing this script, attention should be paid to the subtle details of the strokes, particularly where the spirit and structure are tied together, rather than focusing on the big picture and only grasping the general outline.