Special Lecture: The Sigh of Life and Death–Literature Appreciation of Lanting Xu (Preface of the Orchid Pavilion)
On October 24, the Library of the City University of Macau and the General Education Department jointly held a special lecture titled “The Sigh of Life and Death--Literature Appreciation of Lanting Xu (Preface of the Orchid Pavilion)”. Mr. Ye Lianyong, Vice President of the Seal-cutters Association of Southern Guangzhou, Deputy Secretary-general of the Geshan Painting and Calligraphy Institute, and Director of the Guangzhou Young Calligraphers Association, was invited to give a lecture. The lecture was centered on Lanting Xu and Wang Xizhi, and Mr. Ye interpreted “The Spread and Fall of Lanting Xu”, “Wang Xizhi’s Life and Spiritual World”, “Literature Appreciation of ‘Lanting Xu’” and “A brief Discussion on the Style and Characteristics of the Calligraphy Art of ‘Lanting Xu’ and its Contribution to the History of Calligraphy”.
Mr. Ye left a deep impression on the teachers and students with his profound knowledge, sonorous, low-pitched voice, fluent and natural expression, and passionate speech. Mr. Ye’s nuanced, vivid and simple language enables audience to have a full understanding of Wang Xizhi's family, Wang Xizhi's life, and the content and artistic features of Lanting Preface.
Wang Xizhi's calligraphy achievements were mainly embodied in the new style, and he made an important contribution to the maturity of regular script, running hand and Jin Cao (a kind of cursive style). His Kai style changes the Zhong Yao style from horizontal to slanting, and changes it into proper Kai style. The masterpieces include Yellow Court Classic and “Le Yi Lun”. His cursive style became Jin Cao from Zhang Cao, and is comparable to Zhang Zhi. The fluent handwriting echoes each other, breaking through the linear layout of the seal script and clerical script and Zhang Cao. The masterpieces include “Shiqi Modelbook” and “Chuyue Modelbook”. His running script style borrows the style of cursive script, and combines the haste cursive script and softness of Kai style, forming the new aesthetic model of running script. The masterpiece “Lanting Xu” is called “the No.1 running script in the world.
Wang Xizhi is a great master of calligraphy, and had a great influence on later generations. Later generations renowned him as “the sage of calligraphy”. Later generations of calligraphers were almost all influenced by Wang Xizhi. It was called the Wang's style of calligraphy. There are 42 participants in Lanting Collection, including Wang Xizhi, Wang Ningzhi, Wang Suzhi, Wang Huizhi, Wang Huanzhi, as well as Litterateurs such as Sun Chuo, Sun Tong, Xie An, Xie Wan, Chi Tan, Yuan Qiaozhi, Yu Yun, Xu Xun and Zhi Dun. Most of them are important figures in Chinese cultural history, art history, religious history and political history. Mr. Ye believes that the suffering of life is not to be persistent but care not to give up but let go; the sorrow of life and death lies in that all man will die, and being towards death; the concern about country is that the upper class lead a befuddled life, and empty talks jeopardize national interests, which is the sadness of cynical; the confusion of forgotten love results from that we are thoroughly engrossed in love. Those who cannot deceive themselves are the most miserable.
This lecture enables teachers and students to feel the aesthetic education of Chinese traditional culture and calligraphy art, and to understand how to learn and appreciate the calligraphy art. Mr. Ye’s lecture made readers realize the importance of reading, because calligraphy is artistic and cultural. It needs to be moisturized with “extra-script skills” to achieve success, that is, learn from the essence of traditional Chinese culture to enhance one’s knowledge, cultivation, and character. These “extra-script skills” come from more reading, and good learning can make one gain accumulation and grow.
