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East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

author:China News Network

Beijing, 25 Nov (ZXS) -- Why is the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" "out of the loop" in space?

——Interview with Italian sinologist Bilo

China News Agency reporter Shi Yuanfeng

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

"Looking up at the vastness of the universe and the prosperity of the category, so the eyes are full of sight, enough to be extremely audio-visual entertainment, and believe in cola." Recently, Italian female astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who was on a mission in space, quoted the famous sentence of Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Preface" on social media when passing over China during the International Space Station, and wrote this ancient Chinese text in Chinese, Italian and English respectively, in order to express her thoughts when facing the vast starry sky, and quickly "out of the circle" through more than 1600 years of "Lanting Preface".

In the view of Bi Luo, an Italian sinologist and professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Lanting Collection" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" are consistent in cultural status. "Although different civilizations have different understandings of beauty, I believe that the pursuit and appreciation of beauty is undoubtedly a phenomenon that crosses borders and time and space." Bi Luo said in an exclusive interview with the China News Agency's "East-West Question" a few days ago that although the universe is vast, the ancient Chinese people can also achieve true escape and transcendence in the freedom of mind in a state of "wandering eyes". Therefore, the cosmology reflected in the "Lanting Preface" is the product of China's thousands of years of cultural system and the embodiment of China's traditional cultural ecology.

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Video: Italian sinologist Biro: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the loop" in space? Source: China News Network

China News Agency: Your name "Biluo" is taken from "Zhuangzi", and there is a saying in "Zhuangzi Tianxia": "All things Biluo, no one is enough to return." How do you understand this sentence, which reflects a Westerner's view of calligraphy and Chinese culture?

Bireau: The name Biro I have been using for 25 years originated from an encounter I had in 1997 while studying Chinese in Italy. At that time, my classmates and I often went to a Chinese restaurant, mainly to be able to communicate with Chinese and practice speaking. A young Chinese man working there gave me the Chinese name "Biluo". I didn't know that "Bi" was a common surname in China, but I didn't expect to use it until now.

A few years later, I learned that "Biluo" also had a profound meaning in ancient China - in dealing with all unknown phenomena, in addition to a vigilant and cautious attitude, it is also necessary to be tolerant. Based on my personality and life experience, the famous phrase "Biluo of All Things" from "Zhuangzi" is indeed suitable for me, not only reflecting my attitude towards the world for more than 20 years, but also summarizing my academic research and cultural interests.

From a broader view of Chinese culture, the open and inclusive international spirit embodied in religion, politics and culture, and those true calligraphers who are good at all five bodies, all embody the core of "Biluo of all things". The history of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty is one of my research priorities.

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

The 2016 CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala was staged in Xi'an Tang Paradise. Photo by Zhang Yuan

China News Agency: You once said that "the study of Sinology requires accumulation, and the process of getting started with traditional Chinese culture is very long." What do you think is the role of studying calligraphy in understanding traditional Chinese culture?

Bi Luo: Without the accumulation of a certain vocabulary in Chinese and the basic understanding of traditional documents, it is actually impossible to deal with the vast literary and historical materials of ancient China, let alone "sinology research".

From the perspective of traditional Chinese cultural system, calligraphy is a cultural expression with high sustainability. Calligraphy practice is a less expensive activity, unlike sculpture and oil painting, which requires expensive materials to "get started". Similarly, copying the famous books of the Tang Dynasty, there is no fundamental difference between the past and the present, except that the Song Dynasty used rubbings at that time and now uses photocopied letters.

From the perspective of objective historical exploration, ancient Chinese society was still "Xiu Wende", and consciously sent a strong humanistic and cultural signal to society through the beauty of Chinese characters in calligraphy. Therefore, we can fully understand the complex human and social ecological phenomena of that time through ancient calligraphy works, so as to make up for the lack of detailed historical documents.

Looking at the world, as long as people are interested in the history of ancient Chinese civilization, even if they cannot appreciate calligraphy, they have to recognize the cultural status of calligraphy.

China News Agency: In your opinion, why can the "Lanting Collection" travel through 1600 years in space to "go out of the circle"? Is it accidental?

Bi Luo: Strictly speaking, the Preface to the Lanting Collection has long been "out of the loop". At the end of the 19th century, the Italian missionary Angelo Zoti included the Preface to the Lanting Collection in his Latin textbook Cursus litteraturae sinicae (1879-1892). From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, many Westerners exposed to Chinese literature read this article.

Today, the major translations of ancient Chinese literature in the West will contain the Preface to the Lanting Collection. Western scholars who came into contact with Chinese art history in the early 20th century recognized Wang Xizhi as one of the most respected artists in Chinese history. When I taught ancient Chinese at the University of the East in Naples, Italy, I would have my students read the Shenlong book of the Preface to the Lanting Collection and copy the text into Italian.

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

Full text of the Orchid Pavilion Preface. Photo by Li Zhihua

Although I am not the sinologist mentioned by the Italian astronaut, in my opinion, Samantha Cristoforetti's mention of the "Lanting Collection" on Western social media can be said to be a representative node in the era of Chinese cultural networks. Recently, I proofread and completed a short book in Italian entitled "Yi Yong Yi Yong: A Study of the Collected Poems of the Lanting Pavilion", which will be published in Milan in February 2023, and I hope to give this book to the Italian astronaut at that time.

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

Bilo's book in Italian, A Study of the Collected Poems of the Lanting Pavilion, will be published in Milan in February 2023. Photo courtesy of interviewee

China News Agency: You once talked about "treating Wang Xizhi as a world figure, and Wang Xizhi and Chinese calligraphy as a highlight of world culture... Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Lanting Collection" and da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" are actually the same in terms of cultural status." Does this mean that different civilizations are most likely to resonate in terms of "beauty" and "freedom of mind"? How does this help the exchange of art between East and West?

Bi Luo: The reason why I propose the world significance of Wang Xizhi is because calligraphy is a shining point in the long process of exploring beauty by different civilizations in the world, and it is worth sharing more widely. Although different civilizations have different understandings of beauty, I believe that the pursuit and appreciation of beauty is undoubtedly a phenomenon that transcends borders and time and space. As long as you understand the basic laws of the expressive language of "works of art" and appreciate it without prejudice, anyone can feel its charm.

What the world lacks most today is a diversity of awareness of beauty. The feeling of beauty is connected, but the standard of beauty cannot be unique.

In the history of the Eastern world, Chinese civilization has long been in the lead. Chinese civilization has been introduced to other civilizations in East Asia with Chinese dictionaries as the main carrier, forming an East Asian "Chinese character cultural circle" and promoting the economic and social development and civilization progress of these countries and regions.

Today, when the influence of Western civilization is so great, how will Chinese civilization learn harmoniously from Western civilization and other civilizations? What is needed for both Easterners and Westerners is the nourishment and enlightenment of different cultural traditions. Although Chinese culture also has certain characteristics in traditional Chinese medicine, architecture, craftsmanship, etc., calligraphy is the only thousand-year-old art that has been preserved to this day. The fundamental purpose of the study of calligraphy is precisely to enhance the horizons of viewers from different civilizations and enrich their spiritual life and aesthetic taste through the correct appreciation of calligraphy works.

Through calligraphy, we can see the whole picture of Chinese traditional culture in a deeper way, and the study of Eastern and Western sinology will undoubtedly benefit from it, which is one of the reasons why calligraphy has played a prominent role in the long history of Chinese civilization. It is very necessary for calligraphy to go to the world, as long as we treat it with a rigorous and open attitude, calligraphy will shine on the stage of international cultural exchange in the future.

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

A visitor views the "Lanting Tuoben" at the Palace Museum in Beijing. Photo by Wei Liang

China News Agency: How should different civilizations complete the process from watching to dialogue, from informing to sharing, and from understanding to recognition? What role does calligraphy play in this process?

Bi Luo: By studying the history of calligraphy, we can see that calligraphy is one of the highest expressions of ancient Chinese aesthetics. A calligraphy work is a pen and ink block created by a single movement, which can actually be regarded as a musical performance unfolded on paper, just like the intuitive feeling of music, it will directly enter the heart of the writer and the viewer. This is ancient Chinese based on the knowledge of the world and "everything". Use brushstrokes to transcribe ideas and humanistic ideals into two-dimensional flat text symbols.

This art form has the advantages of cross-cultural communication, cross-cultural understanding, and cross-cultural infection. Successful calligraphy works are the fusion of cosmic time and space and literati ideals, with painful life experiences, outstanding independent contemplation of life, and far-reaching and profound cosmic consciousness, full of temporality and three-dimensionality, far beyond the two-dimensional plane.

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

In the former residence of Wang Xizhi in Linyi, Shandong, several tour guides wearing calligraphy font costumes visited in front of the calligraphy "Orchid Pavilion Preface" character stele. Photo by Wang Linan

Mutual learning among civilizations should try to contact and pay attention to classic works and historical figures representing different cultures, and strive to get closer to the absolute masterpieces and outstanding representatives recognized by history, so as to help more accurately and truly understand the complex faces of different civilizations, and then complete the process from watching to dialogue, from telling to sharing, and from understanding to recognition.

As far as calligraphy is concerned, whether in the East or the West, the ancient scriptures are a basic starting point for knowing and understanding civilization, because this is the development of ancient wisdom in contemporary times. We are fortunate to be able to speak directly with the ancient Chinese sages through calligraphy, and look up to the technique, aesthetics and spirit, which is an advanced "practice" of self-discovery and self-improvement, and can also allow more people to see more subtle and wonderful "beauty" on this planet from identification to appreciation. (End)

Respondent Profile:

East and West Question丨Italian sinologist Bi Luo: Why is the "Lanting Preface" "out of the circle" in space?

Pietro De Laurentis, Ph.D. of Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale", Italian sinologist is an Italian sinologist and professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, head of the Research Center for Chinese and Foreign Writing Culture and Art Exchange, member of the Expert Committee of the Erwang Studies Research Center, and distinguished researcher of the Chinese Calligraphy Research and Communication Center of Jinan University. He has published many books in Italian, English and Chinese, and has published many papers in authoritative journals at home and abroad, such as German Chinese Studies Journal, Chinese Dunhuang Studies, Tang Studies, and Chinese Calligraphy.

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