Wang Xizhi

Author: Li Jingyou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The author, filled with reverence for this outstanding calligrapher and statesman, created this historical novel. The Eastern Jin Dynasty in which Xizhi lived was a very dark and corrupt era. The ruling officials were mostly indulging in hedonism and pursuing luxury, while the common scholars glorified unrealistic, state-irrelevant "pure talks." Xizhi, born into a prominent family, was vastly different from the ruling elite. He opposed "pure talks," valued pragmatism, cared about the people's suffering, and actively engaged in public affairs. A single example illustrates this. In 351 AD, Xizhi was appointed as the Right Military General and the Interior History of Kuaiji (equivalent to a prefect, a higher-level local administrator). Upon taking office, he encountered a severe famine in Kuaiji, where the people were starving and displaced. Without immediate decisive action, many disaster-stricken people would likely starve to death. Witnessing this situation, Wang Xizhi resolutely decided to open the state granaries to distribute food to the famine-stricken. This was a major taboo in feudal society because the state granaries belonged to the imperial family. Without the emperor's edict, no one was allowed to use the contents of the granaries unilaterally, or they would face the charge of treason, punishable by death. However, Wang Xizhi clearly did not care about these consequences. Perhaps due to the urgency of the situation, he had no time to seek approval and thus disregarded his personal safety. This spirit of "worrying about the world before worrying about oneself" is still highly rare today, and even more so for a feudal official living over 1,700 years ago. After opening the granaries to distribute relief, to conserve food, he also issued an order prohibiting the production of alcohol and personally led by example by abstaining from drinking. This order was enforced for several years until the famine was largely alleviated. Meanwhile, he severely punished corrupt officials who profited from the disaster. At that time, the Magistrate of Yuyao hoarded grain and sold it at high prices. Upon learning of this, Wang Xizhi punished the magistrate.