Chapter 19 of 100
Chapter 19
10 min read2,615 words
As Mi Ke ground the ink and laid out the Xuan paper, Li Yi walked up to the table, picked up the only somewhat worn-out inferior wolf-hair brush, dipped it fully in the ink, and began to write on the Xuan paper with swift strokes!
At this moment, Li Yi stood as straight as a pine tree, held the brush like a dragon, and wrote with a free and bold style, exuding a majestic aura.
"Could this bastard really know how to write with a brush pen?" Mi Ke squatted at the corner of the table, curious, and looked at the Xuan paper. Indeed, row after row of graceful and elegant characters appeared under Li Yi's brush!
"In the ninth year of Yonghe, the year of Gui Chou, at the beginning of late spring, we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the Yin of Kuaiji for the purification ceremony. All the virtuous scholars were present, both young and old. This place has high mountains and steep ridges, dense forests and tall bamboos, and there is also a clear stream with rapid water..."
"Damn, this guy's brush pen writing is really beautiful... Not just beautiful, it's absolutely stunning! How did he practice?"
Mi Ke gazed at the brush pen writing on the Xuan paper, her throat making gulping sounds. She remained in a daze even after Li Yi finished writing the entire text in one go.
"Hey, don't waste my ink. I still need some to do my homework! Xuan paper is expensive, one yuan per sheet!"
Li Ting didn't think her brother could write anything decent and didn't even look at the table.
The last time Li Yi did his brush pen homework, she had written it for him. Usually, when Li Yi ground the ink, he could only draw ugly pictures like a chick pecking at rice, wasting paper for nothing.
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
Before Li Yi could speak, Mi Ke protested first.
"You big-brained glutton, what do you mean by wasting ink? Do you know how well your brother writes? Oh heavens, why can this bastard write such good brush pen characters? I'm so jealous!"
Li Ting, of course, didn't understand what Mi Ke was protesting about, but seeing her waving paws, she laughed loudly, "Brother, what ugly thing did you draw that scared Mi Mi like this?"
"Meow!" Mi Ke's ears drooped instantly.
Indeed, communication between different species is a difficult gap to bridge, especially when the other party is big-brained and gluttonous!
"Come and take a look, and you'll know." Li Yi unfolded the Xuan paper and gently blew on it to dry the ink faster.
Li Ting walked over to her brother indifferently and looked at the Xuan paper. Her eyes immediately widened!
"Hey, hey, hey! Is this the school's calligraphy model?"
"What model? Have you ever seen a model with wet ink?" Li Yi smiled at his sister.
"But, but..." Li Ting smacked her lips, "The characters look so good, so powerful! It can't be you who wrote them; you can't even hold a brush pen! Oh my God, the writing is so cool, even the model can't compare..."
"Of course, these characters aren't written by me." Li Yi waved the Xuan paper to dry it further, "They were written by Wang Xizhi. Didn't you see the content?"
"Huh?" Li Ting's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but read the text on the Xuan paper, "In the ninth year of Yonghe, the year of Gui Chou, at the beginning of late spring, we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the Yin of Kuaiji for the purification ceremony. All the virtuous scholars were present, both young and old... This is the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion'! Brother, you wrote the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion'!"
"Exactly, it's the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.' So it's Wang Xizhi's genuine work. Don't get this wrong!"
The 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' is also known as the 'Orchid Pavilion Gathering Preface,' 'Orchid Pavilion Preface,' 'Linhé Preface,' 'Xi Preface,' and 'Xi Postscript.'
In the ninth year of Yonghe during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, about two thousand years ago, Wang Xizhi, along with Xie An, Sun Chuo, and forty other high-ranking officials, held a purification ceremony at the Orchid Pavilion in the Yin of Kuaiji. Each person composed a poem, and Wang Xizhi wrote the preface to their poems, which became the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.'
Wang Xizhi was proficient in various styles of calligraphy, including clerical, cursive, regular, and running scripts. He studied the forms and styles, emulated the masters, and absorbed the strengths of many, refining all styles into a unique style that broke away from the Han and Wei styles, forming his own school, with a profound influence.
Among the calligraphers throughout Chinese history, no one has been more outstanding than Wang Xizhi, earning him the title of "Sage of Calligraphy."
The most famous work of this sage of calligraphy is the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion'!
The 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' consists of 28 lines and 324 characters. The entire text is graceful and elegant, with each character exquisitely written, the strokes dancing like a divine being, and it has been revered as the supreme masterpiece by calligraphers throughout the ages.
The famous Song Dynasty calligrapher Mi Fu called it the "First Running Script in China." Subsequent generations of calligraphers who studied running script were captivated by the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.' The flowing and dynamic brushwork of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' truly leaves us, the later generations of calligraphers, in awe, admiring Wang Xizhi's divine calligraphy skills and his fluid and elegant prose.
Calligraphers throughout the ages have copied the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion,' and the most famous are the five major copies from the Tang Dynasty.
The 'Yu Copy' was copied by the great Tang Dynasty calligrapher Yu Shinan. Because the scroll bears the seal of the Yuan dynasty's imperial collection, it is also known as the 'Tianli Copy.' Yu Shinan received the true teachings from Zhi Yong and directly inherited the style of the Wei and Jin dynasties, closely resembling Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. It is the most representative copy of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' in terms of style.
The 'Chu Copy' was copied by the great Tang Dynasty calligrapher Chu Suiliang. Because the scroll has a poem by Mi Fu, it is also known as the 'Mi Fu Poem Copy.' This copy has a light and graceful brushwork, smooth and flowing, capturing the essence of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.' It is the most representative copy in terms of spirit.
The 'Feng Copy' was copied by the Tang Dynasty imperial calligrapher Feng Chengsu. Because the scroll bears the seal "Shenlong" (Divine Dragon), it is also known as the 'Shenlong Copy.' Using the "double hook" copying method, it is the closest to the original 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' among the Tang Dynasty copies. It is the most representative copy in terms of the original appearance.
The 'Dingwu Copy' is a copy by the great Tang Dynasty calligrapher Ouyang Xun. It was engraved on stone during the Xuanhe period of the Northern Song Dynasty and was discovered in Dingwu, Hebei, during the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty, hence its name. The original stone has been lost, but the rubbings remain. This version is the most precious of the 'Dingwu Orchid Pavilion' rubbings and is the most representative in terms of the style of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.'
Each of the five major Tang Dynasty copies has its own strengths, representing the essence of the "First Running Script in the World" from different perspectives. They are the ancestors of the two major systems of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' in later generations. Each of these five copies is invaluable and a precious historical heritage of the Chinese nation.
As the "First Running Script in the World," even the copies are invaluable treasures. The original, naturally, is of unimaginable value. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of this "First Running Script in the World," the most precious treasure in the calligraphy world, remain a mystery to this day.
It is said that Wang Xizhi himself cherished his "divine" work, the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion,' and passed it down as a family treasure. It was passed down to his seventh-generation grandson, Zhi Yong. Zhi Yong became a monk in his youth and died at the age of one hundred. Before his death, he passed the treasure to his disciple, Bian Cai, and then it disappeared.
"So, the genuine work of Wang Xizhi no longer exists in the world, and you're thinking of forging it? Brother, I admit your writing is good, but at least wait for the ink to dry before blowing on it. The genuine 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' is a two-thousand-year-old antique. Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe this is the real thing!"
"Haha, don't worry, Xiao Ting, let's take it step by step." Li Yi smiled, "I'm afraid that in the end, you might be the only one in the world who doesn't believe it's genuine!"
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