Lanting Xu

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Lanting Xu (蘭亭序), or Lanting Ji Xu (蘭亭集序) ("Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion"), is the most famous work of calligraphy by Wang Xizhi, composed in year 353. Written in xingshu, or running script, it is the most well-known and well-copied piece ever. Lanting Xu describes a gathering of 42 literati at Lanting (literally, Orchid Pavilion) near Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, during the Spring Purification Festival to compose poems and enjoy the wine.

Lanting Xu consists of 324 characters in 28 lines. The character zhi (之) appears 17 times, but no two look the same. It is also a celebrated work of literature, flowing rhythmically and giving rise to several Chinese idioms. Lanting Xu is a piece of improvisation, as can be seen from the revisions in the text.

Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty liked Wang Xizhi's calligraphy so much that he ordered a search for the original copy of Lanting Xu. It is believed that the Emperor took the original in his tomb after his death. Numerous tracing copies and other forms of duplications such as rubbings exist today.

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