Shu brocade-"the Preface" the Best Running Script in the world

Published by qlewa, at 23:46, 2009, under Chinese civilization

May

On a late spring day in March of the 9th year (353A.D.) in Mu Emperor’s Yonghe period (East Jin Dynasty) Wang xizhi born in Linxi of Shandong together with his friends had a gather at Lanting(Orchid Pavilion) where they drank wine and wrote poems with great delight. By help of magic power of inebriation Wangxizhi wrote the preface to the collection of poems on a silk cloth as thin as the wings of a cicada with amazing ease and smoothness as if with immortals’ help. The whole preface composed of 324 Chinese characters in 28 lines was finished without any letup. Correspondence and rhymes with deep emotion materialized by the strokes the feelings of great thoroughness expressed incisively and vividly among the characters it is really a wonder in deed. Especially each of the 20 repeated Chinese character “zhi” differs from another with their own marvelous grace and lingering charm which sufficiently displays the profound accomplishments of the writer in calligraphy. Preface to Lanting Poem Collection (“the Preface”)is reputed as “the Best Running Script in the world” by later generations and became the symbolic writing in the history of calligraphy.
    Li Shimin Taizong Emperor of the Tang Dynasty affectionately appreciated the handwriting of Wangxizhi. When got the authentic work he ordered Feng Chengsu and Zhu Suiliang and other calligraphers from Hongwen Academy of Literature to copy the model outline of the Preface and granted the copies to his lords and ministers. It is said that the authentic work was buried with Li Shimin the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and was never seen again.
    In Tang Dynasty brocade officials were staffed specially for the production of Shu brocade (brocade from Sichuan ). As the Preface was favored by many lords and literati the handicraftsmen of Shu brocade meticulously produced the first generation of the Preface in Chinese character pattern for convenient collection and handing down.
    To meet the growing material and cultural needs of people and reappear the glory history of the millenarianism modern Shu brocade handicraftsmen have now developed and produced based on the study of the relevant ancient rare books the second generation of the Preface in Chinese character pattern. Value plus is thoroughly realized by Shu brocade in Chinsese character pattern the nonmaterial cultural heritage on which Chinese characters of the whole preface appear in different and natural postures and posts even the seals and the forky strokes are wonderfully processed with infinite verve.