The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (IX) / The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (IX), 4

Orchid Pavilion / 兰亭 /

The Orchid Pavilion is located 12 km from Shaoxing, at the foot of Lanzhu Hill.
On the third lunar day of the third month 353, during the reign of Emperor Mu, 41 writers and scholars met as usual at the foot of Mount Lianju, in the vicinity of Shaoxing, in the country house of the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi, who in China is called "the holy of calligraphy." They say that the legendary prince of the Yue kingdom, Guzqian, (5th century BC, the period of Spring and Autumn) grew orchids in these places, perhaps this was the name of the house "Pavilion of Orchids" (Lanting), where, according to legend, he spent calmly and happily his days a great master.
Among them were the outstanding military leader Xie An, the poet Sun Cho, also known as an excellent calligrapher, the famous Kaishu calligrapher Li Chun, the poet Xu Xun, Zhi Daolin, the Zhuangza commentator and commentator on Buddhist tests, and the two sons of Wang Xizhi. This sophisticated and cheerful society gathered to celebrate the ritual of purification, to cleanse the body from ailments, and the soul from the influence of unkind, alien forces. The orchid pavilion stood on an island between the two branches of the Zhejiang River, among the picturesque mountains covered with forests. Sitting in accordance with the purification ritual on the banks of the river, the guests enjoyed wine and conversation with each other. Charki floated on wide lotus leaves with the current, and those who could lift and drain them chanted poetry. This ritual play ("liu shan" - floating glasses) was the culmination of the holiday. As evening fell, the guests wanted to capture the memories of these happy hours and each wrote a poem. Sixteen of them, slightly drunk with wine, left their texts unfinished. Wang Xizhi wrote the poem first and added to the entire collection of poems written that evening with a preface - "Lantin xu" ("Preface from the Orchid Pavilion"). This scroll, written on magnificent canjian paper - "silkworm cocoon" with a brush of mouse antennae has been considered for many centuries the "first scroll of the Celestial Empire", the greatest example of calligraphic art that could be created only with divine help. According to the testimony of the life of Wang Xizhi, until the end of his life he could not re-reach the same peak.
The orchid pavilion has survived to this day, and is a place of pilgrimage for calligraphers from all over the world and simply for lovers of good wine.