The Collected Ink Marks of the Orchid Pavilion

Author: Compiled by the Editorial Committee of "Lanting Ink Remains Collection"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-02-01
Features: Why was the "Preface to the Lanting Preface" written? For the Quxi ceremony. Wang Xizhi and forty-one others went to the Lanting River in Shanyin to bathe and cleanse themselves of bad luck, and upon returning, they wrote poems and this preface. The Quxi ceremony was the main theme. It was not strange to think about life, aging, and death, and this led to the profound, transcendent thoughts of the Wei and Jin dynasties, hence the somewhat pessimistic tone. Guo Moruo said, "Wang Xizhi and his friends, cousins, and nephews went on a spring outing on the third day of the third month, and everyone happily drank wine and recited poetry." It was impossible to feel pessimistic, and the mood in the preface did not match Wang Xizhi's stubborn personality. Therefore, he argued that the "Preface to the Lanting Preface" was not written by Wang Xizhi. This conclusion arises from viewing the outing as a spring outing and forgetting the Quxi ceremony, leading to the forgery of the "Preface to the Lanting Preface." The Quxi ceremony is an ancient custom. Since the Yin and Zhou dynasties, the remnants of shamanic traditions have been preserved, and Quxi is one of them. The "Rites of Zhou·Spring Officer" states: "The female shaman oversees the annual festivals, bathing and cleansing to ward off evil." Led by female shamans, people bathed on the third day of the third month to ward off disasters and seek blessings. In the Han Dynasty, Ying Shao's "Customs of the Han Dynasty" listed Quxi as a ritual, saying: "Quxi means purity." During the spring when all things grow and stir, bathing in water was done to prevent and treat diseases. The "Records of the Later Han·Rituals" mentions "bathing and cleansing" (bathing was an ancient ritual to ward off disasters and seek blessings). This record states: "On this day, officials and commoners bathed in the East River, calling it 'bathing and cleansing to remove old dirt and impurities, achieving great purity.'" Removing old dirt and impurities means getting rid of old illnesses. Here, Liu Zhao added a note: "The 'Book of Han' says that the custom of Zheng State was to bathe on the third day of the third month on the Zheng and Wei rivers, calling it 'summoning souls and restoring spirits, holding orchids for bathing and warding off bad luck.'" Therefore, the Later Han's bathing and cleansing ceremony still learned from ancient female shamans to use fragrant herbs and flowers for bathing to ward off illnesses, expel ghosts, and make offerings. Another interpretation of Quxi is that Zhi Yu said during the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty, Xu Zhao of Pingyuan had three daughters born on the third day of the third month, all of whom died by the third day, so they held a bathing and cleansing ceremony because of the disaster, bathing to ward off disasters and seek blessings. It was precisely this longing to ward off disasters and seek blessings, coupled with the fear of disasters, illnesses, and ghosts that might appear, that gave rise to the thoughts of Zhuangzi and the theory of equality of all things, hence the "Preface to the Lanting Preface" writing "Life and death follow the will of heaven, and they all end in the end. I know that the unity of life and death is a delusion" is a possible sentiment." The "Preface to the Lanting Preface" writes, "There is also clear water and rapids, reflecting and embracing the surroundings. We use it as a winding stream for floating cups, with people sitting in a row." This takes place after bathing, with everyone sitting by the water, releasing feathered cups—cups for drinking. Like the "Records of the Song Dynasty·Rituals" describe: "Distributing cups along the stream, which became a winding stream." In my opinion, the winding stream is an artificially created curved water channel. Starting from Emperor Ming of the Wei Dynasty, Cao Rui, who built a stone-paved winding stream channel in the Tianyuan Pool of Fanglin Garden in Luoyang for Quxi, it became an artificial floating cup pavilion. To this day, the floating cup pavilions in Zhongnanhai, Xiangshan, Gongwangfu, and Lanting in Shaoxing are all built as curved water channels, known as the winding stream for floating cups." Regarding the winding stream, the "Records of the Jin Dynasty·Bi Shu's Biography" states: "(The Jin Emperor) Wu once asked Zhi Yu about the meaning of the winding stream on the third day of the third month. Yu replied, 'During the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty, Xu Zhao of Pingyuan had three daughters born on the third day of the third month, all of whom died by the third day. The villagers thought it was strange and took them to the riverside to bathe and cleanse, eventually floating cups on the water, and the meaning originated from this.' The Emperor said, 'If it is truly as you say, then it is not a good thing.' (Bi) Shu further said, 'Yu is too young to know. I will explain. In the past, when the Duke of Zhou completed the city of Luoyi, he used the flowing water to float wine, so the 'Elegies of the Lost' say, 'Feathered cups followed the waves.'" Therefore, the winding stream for floating cups also has the meaning of celebrating the successful completion of the city, though it is not for Quxi. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the custom of floating cups on the winding stream for Quxi was very popular. Emperor Ming of the Wei Dynasty built floating cup pavilions, and Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty asked as mentioned above. Emperor Huai of the Jin Dynasty led water from the imperial canal to the stone at the south of Tianquan Pool in Luoyang, and built a bathing hall with piled stones on the west side of the pool. During the Eastern Jin, Emperor Haixi also built a floating cup winding stream in Zhongshan, Jiankang. Wang Xizhi and his companions in Shanyin, Lanting, were indeed practicing this custom. Because bathing for Quxi requires being by the river, the "Preface to the Lanting Preface" is both called the "Bathing Scroll" and the "By the River Preface." In reality, they are the same text, with some additions and subtractions. The "By the River Preface" mentions the outing of the group, while the "Preface to the Lanting Preface" focuses on expressing personal sentiments in the latter part. Because of the spring outing, facing the gentle breeze and clear sunshine, the gurgling streams, and the revival of all things, the travelers naturally felt joyful. However, during the bathing for Quxi by the river, thoughts of illness and the like inevitably brought sadness. As Guo Moruo pointed out, one of the poems by Yu Yun of Yingchuan, who was among the group, had a slightly pessimistic tone: "Looking up, I recall the empty boat, bowing, I sigh at the guests of the world. Though morning glory is joyful, many die—reasons are inherent." Though pessimistic, it was quite philosophical. However, the poems of the other twenty-five people were optimistic, with not a trace of pessimism." Or perhaps not. Guo Moruo also quoted the second of the five poems Wang Xizhi wrote for the "Preface to the Lanting Preface," saying it showed no trace of pessimism at all.