Source: CCTV.com

03-05-2009 08:32

"The Preface of Lan Ting Pavilion Collection" by Jin dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi has been a calligraphy classic for centuries. A forum celebrating the legacy Wang Xizhi brought to the ancient art has been held in Beijing.

A forum celebrating the legacy Wang Xizhi brought to the ancient art has been held in Beijing.

Back in 353 AD, Wang Xizhi collected poems and essays written by literatis during a gathering at Lan Ting pavilion. He penned a foreword for the collection, called "The Preface of Lan Ting Pavilion Collection". His beautiful and elegant writing in this piece has been hailed as an exceptional example of calligraphy text, and has been imitated by calligraphers for well over a thousand years.

Painter and calligrapher Wang Deshui is a fifty-fifth generation descendant of Wang Xizhi. Wang Deshui hosted the forum to celebrate the artistic achievements of his ancestor.

Painter and calligrapher Wang Deshui is a fifty-fifth generation descendant of Wang Xizhi.

Tang Taizong, the first Tang dynasty emperor, liked Wang Xizhi's most well-known work so much he had "The Preface of Lan Ting Pavilion Collection" buried with him in his tomb. The texts surviving today are all copies of the original.

Another exhibition displaying the works of painter Wang Kewei is being held at Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities. The sixty oils and thirty ink paintings have all been created by Wang during the past decade. His oil paintings mainly take historical stories as their theme, often involving heroism and patriotism. His ink paintings mainly focus on ethnic dances.

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Editor:Zhao Yanchen