Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection

The “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection,” crafted by the Eastern Jin Dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi, is celebrated as the foremost masterpiece of running script. This preface documents the gathering on the third day of the third lunar month in 353 AD (the ninth year of Emperor Mu of Jin) at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji, where Wang Xizhi and 41 friends, including Xie An and Sun Chuo, composed and recited poetry while drinking. Wang Xizhi compiled these poems into a collection and wrote a preface, expressing the profound emotions stirred by the flowing water and floating cups.

Not only is the “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection” a beautiful prose piece, with sparkling and gem-like words, but it is also a masterpiece in the history of Chinese calligraphy. The calligraphy throughout exudes a gentle and ethereal aura, elegant and natural, with strokes that are both refined and dynamic, displaying a balanced yet distinctive technique. There is both artistic ingenuity and a lack of ostentation, achieving a natural creation. Particularly notable is the varied presentation of repeated characters such as “之” (zhi), “以” (yi), and “为” (wei), achieving artistic diversity and unity. The “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection” is a representative work of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy that has nourished generations of calligraphers.