The good company and the strong wine put Wang Xizhi in such a happy mood that he took up his brush and, there and then, wrote the “Lan Ting Xu” as a prelude to the collection of poems. It is said that Wang Xizhi tried to reproduce the Prelude nearly 100 times several days later, but he was never able to match his spontaneous calligraphy of that day.

The original “Lan Ting Xu”, which is considered the greatest masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy in history, was subsequently acquired by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. He liked it so much that he ordered his court's calligraphers to make copies of it. When he died, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy was buried with him. Now the original is lost, but there are a number of fine tracing copies and rubbings.

Shang Yu Tie

Shang Yu Tie. Shanghai Museum Collection

"Shang Yu Tie", now a Shanghai Museum collection, includes 58 characters in cursive script. It was a letter by Wang Xizhi written to a relative, telling of his health and the recent activities of some acquaintances. Wang Xizhi's style was in a stage of transition while writing it. It shows that some traditional brushstrokes were abandoned and novel techniques were taking shape.

Although it is a reproduction from the Tang Dynasty, it still manages to express the interior soul of the original piece. The seal stamps and inscriptions for collections made by royal families during the Southern Tang (937-975 AD) and Northern Song (960-1127 AD) Dynasties and of other periods occur on both sides, revealing that it gained popular appreciation.

Mei Zhi Tie

Mei Zhi Tie. Preserved in Japan

“Mei Zhi Tie”, the 25.3cm long by 5.3cm wide hanging scroll, is a Tang Dynasty copy featuring 17 characters drawn by Wang Xizhi. It is now preserved in Japan. In 2007, with a reserve price of HK$24 million ($3.1 million) in an auction in Hong Kong, the auction of this piece, owned by a Japanese collector then, went abortive in the end. “Mei Zhi Tie” is the only piece by Wang Xizhi to ever appear on the open market.