47 Facts About Wang Xizhi

Wang Xizhi is often regarded as the greatest calligrapher in Chinese history.

Wang Xizhi studied calligraphy under the tutelage of relatives, including Wei Shuo, and became engaged to Xi Xuan around the year 323.

Between 324 and 354, Wang Xizhi served in various government positions.

Wang Xizhi received his highest title, "General of the Right Army", in 347, and was appointed administrator of Kuaiji.

Wang Xizhi retired from governmental service in 355, devoted himself to Taoist practices, and died in Jinting.

Wang Xizhi is known for his proficiency in multiple Chinese script styles, particularly the regular, semi-cursive, and cursive forms.

Wang Xizhi's works were enthusiastically collected by both emperors and private collectors.

Much of what is known about Wang Xizhi's life is derived from letters that he wrote during his lifetime and historical texts such as the and the.

Wang Xizhi makes 47 appearances within the 1,130 historical anecdotes of the, which was originally compiled during the 5th century.

The work was commissioned in the 7th century by Emperor Taizong of Tang, who personally wrote a postscript to Wang Xizhi's biography declaring him the greatest calligrapher in history.

Wang Xizhi was born in Linyi in Langya Commandery.

Wang Xizhi was later given the courtesy name Yishao, and adopted the studio name Danzhai.

Wang Xizhi was a member of an aristocratic family, the Wang clan of Langya, and his father, Wang Kuang, was the governor of Huainan.

Wang Xizhi studied calligraphy under the tutelage of Wei Shuo, known as "Lady Wei", who was Wang Kuang's cousin.

Wang Xizhi Kuang was involved in his son's lessons, working with Wei to teach him the techniques of the calligrapher Cai Yong.

Wang Xizhi learned calligraphy from his uncle, Wang Yi, a painter and calligrapher who was married to the sister of Emperor Yuan of Jin.

Wang Xizhi Dao helped suppress attempted coups by his cousin Wang Xizhi Dun in 322 and 324.

Around the year 323, Wang Xizhi became engaged to Xi Xuan, the eldest daughter of the military general Xi Jian.

Wang Xianzhi, their youngest son, became a renowned calligrapher in his own right, and he and Wang Xizhi were later praised as the "Two Wangs" or "Two Kings".

Wang Xizhi was appointed to various government positions between 324 and 354.

Wang Xizhi started as an assistant in the Palace Library, and he served as a companion and mentor to the future Emperor Jianwen of Jin.

Wang Xizhi was named governor of Linchuan in 336.

Wang Xizhi then requested an appointment as the administrator of Xuancheng, so that he could focus on his cultural interests in a remote area, away from dynastic politics.

Wang Xizhi was instead appointed administrator of Kuaiji, and moved there with his family in 347.

Wang Xizhi unsuccessfully attempted to convince Yin Hao, who was in a fierce rivalry with the ambitious general Huan Wen, to abandon his plans to lead an army into northern China; Yin Hao's expeditions ultimately ended in failure.

Wang Xizhi's gathering included six of his sons, as well as Xie An, Sun Chuo, and the Buddhist monk Zhi Dun.

The, the most famous calligraphic work attributed to Wang Xizhi, is a preface to the collection of poems that were written that day.

In 355, Wang Xizhi announced that he would resign from governmental service.

Wang Shu subsequently opened an investigation into Kuaiji's finances, alleging that Wang Xizhi had mishandled the collection of taxes in the region.

The Wang Xizhi clan of Langya were well-known adherents of the Way of the Celestial Masters movement of Taoism, and Wang Xizhi's letters indicate that he was a follower of this movement as well.

Wang Xizhi has been traditionally believed to be buried in a tomb in Jinting, which has become a major tourist attraction in Shengzhou.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, a great admirer of Wang Xizhi, amassed a collection of over 2,000 of his works and required that the imperial court scholars study his calligraphic techniques.

Wang Xizhi employed calligraphers to make tracing copies of the and other works by Wang, using semitransparent tracing paper that was placed over the original versions.

Wang Xizhi is known for his proficiency in multiple Chinese script styles, particularly the regular, semi-cursive, and cursive forms.

Wang Xizhi's calligraphy contains traces of patterns found in the early seal script style, according to an analysis by Dong Qichang, an art theorist and calligrapher of the Ming dynasty who studied the stylistic effects of the brush tip in Wang's works.

Wang Xizhi's works vary in length from a few lines to several hundred characters and, apart from the and his letters to others, are largely copies of existing texts.

Wang Xizhi regularly experimented with varying the speed and direction of the brush, resulting in distinctive visual characteristics in different instances of recurring strokes.

In contrast to the relatively wide characters typically seen in clerical script, Wang Xizhi's characters were more vertically elongated and compact.

The study of Wang Xizhi's style is challenged by the lack of surviving original works.

Ledderose observes that the works attributed to Wang Xizhi vary widely in style, precision, and balance, making a "correct assessment of his personal contribution quite difficult".

The complicated textual history of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has led to debates over the authenticity of his works, primarily the.

Guo published an article in 1965 rejecting Wang Xizhi's authorship based on the recent discovery of tombs from the Jin dynasty whose inscriptions were written in clerical script.

Wang Xizhi suggested that it was actually written by Zhiyong, a Buddhist monk who was a descendant of Wang.

Guo's claim that clerical script would have been used exclusively during Wang Xizhi's lifetime was weakened in 1988 upon the discovery of an Eastern Jin tomb with an inscription written in regular script.

Wang Xizhi's works were already popular during his lifetime, and in the centuries after Wang Xizhi's death, collectors continued to seek out his calligraphy.

Wang Xizhi is an influential figure in Japanese calligraphy as well.

Several locations associated with Wang Xizhi's life have become visitor attractions in China.