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Wang Xizhi

Type Figure Region Langya Linyi Time 303–361 Also known as Yishao、Sage of Calligraphy

Wang Xizhi (303–361), courtesy name Yishao, from Langya Linyi, was a renowned calligrapher and writer of the Eastern Jin.…

Timeline

  1. 303–317Langya Linyi · ShandongBorn into the prominent Wang clan of Langya in the Eastern Jin, he moved south with his family in his youth, receiving instruction in the classical Confucian classics and calligraphy amid turbulent times, and displaying exceptional artistic talent.
  2. 353–355Shanyin, Kuaiji · ZhejiangWhile serving as Interior Administrator of Kuaiji, he attended the elegant gathering at Orchid Pavilion on the third day of the third month in the ninth year of Yonghe, where he improvised the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection, reaching the pinnacle of his calligraphic and literary achievement.
  3. 355–361Shanyin, Kuaiji · ZhejiangAfter resigning from office, he lived in seclusion in Kuaiji, devoting himself to landscape and calligraphy, collecting widely the ink traces of earlier masters, studying brush technique in depth, and establishing the model for running script that influenced calligraphic styles for a thousand years.

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