Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Collection", Yan Zhenqing's "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript", and Su Shi's "Huangzhou Cold Food Post" are known as the three major books in the world
"Orchid Pavilion Collection":
1. Background: "Lanting Collection" is a book written by Wang Xizhi when he was 47 years old, which records the grand tour of Xizhi and his friends Yashi gathering in Lanting (present-day Lanqing, southwest of Shaoxing, Zhejiang), and there are also rumors that this "Yaji" is actually a secret military meeting.
2. The Wind of Wei and Jin: Wang Xizhi was revered by later generations as the "Sage of Books", and his "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" Was revered as "the first line of grass under the heavens", the wind of Wei and Jin, both the "ethereal" of Taoism and the "literary quality" of Confucianism, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has developed from "both form and god" to "detached from the form of god", and his book is calm and delicate, full of vigor and concentration, and thus produces the artistic character of "both form and god" of traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting art. Tang Taizong Li Shimin once praised it as a work of "perfection and perfection".
3, the whereabouts are unknown: before the Tang Dynasty, the "Lanting Collection" was transmitted to The 7th Generation of Wang Xizhi Sun Zhiyong, Zhiyong was a young monk, before his death he passed the "Lanting Collection Order" to his disciples to discern the talents and monks, the news reached the ears of Tang Taizong Li Shimin, he used the calculation to include it, it is rumored that Tang Taizong left a will after his death, and buried the "Lanting Collection Sequence" together in the Zhaoling Tomb. However, during the Five Dynasties period, Wen Tao once stolen the Zhaoling Tomb, and the list of treasures he unearthed did not contain the "Lanting Collection Sequence"; another rumor was that the "Lanting Collection Sequence" was actually buried in the Qianling Tomb where the two emperors (Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and Wu Zetian) were buried, and they had never appeared so far, and all that was circulated was Tuoben.
Manuscript of the Sacrifice of the Nephew
1. Background: The "Manuscript of sacrifice to the nephew" itself is a eulogy, Tianbao fourteen years (the middle of the Tang Dynasty), after the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, the rebel army was like a broken bamboo, Yan Zhenqing's cousin Yan Gaoqing was isolated and helpless in Hebei County, after the city was destroyed, Yan Gaoqing was slaughtered in more than thirty mouths, two years later Yan Zhenqing recovered Changshan County, only found one of his cousin's leg bones and nephew Yan Jiming's skull, and in grief, wrote the "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript".
2. Style: Fan Zhongyan's "Sacrifice stone bachelor's text" once said: "Man Qing's pen, Yan Jian Liu Bone." It refers to Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan, describing yan liu's calligraphy as strong and powerful, and this "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript" is even more solemn and vigorous, because it was written under grief and indignation, so it was sometimes smeared, but behind it was with blood and tears, with an iron bone.
3. Whereabouts: Although the Manuscript of the Sacrifice of the Nephew is extant in the world, it is rare to see, in early 1949, the Kuomintang brought it to Taiwan, and later borrowed it for exhibition in Japan, and is now stored in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
《Huangzhou Cold Food Post》
1. Background: Su Shi's life was bumpy, turbulent, and degraded many times, and this "Huangzhou Cold Food Post" was composed by Su Shi in the third year of the Cold Food Festival after being demoted to Huangzhou. Cold Food Festival is the 105th day after the winter solstice, that is, the day or two before the Qingming Festival, on this day, people eat cold food, sacrifice to sweep the graves of ancestors, etc., with the evolution of the times, after the Song Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival was gradually replaced by the Qingming Festival, at this time Su Shi, who was poor and destitute in life, was also depressed in spirit, and finally had no ambition, and pinned his sad and lonely mood with the feeling of the Cold Food Festival.
2, style: Su Shi once said: "I can't make a book, and I can't ask for it." He also said, "Innocence is my teacher." "This "Huangzhou Cold Food Post" has ups and downs in calligraphy throughout, in one go, full of momentum, and no absurdity. Dong Qichang, a great calligrapher and painter of the Ming Dynasty, inscribed after this post: "In the rest of his life, he saw that Mr. Dongpo's authentic handwriting was no less than thirty volumes, and he would take this as a view."
3, whereabouts: In 1860, the British and French forces burned the Yuanmingyuan, the "Cold Food Post" was almost burned, immediately exiled to the people, and then collected by Japanese collectors at a high price, after the end of World War II, the Foreign Minister of the National Government Wang Shijie privately instructed friends to take back its heavy money and now store it in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
The three major books have different styles and different backgrounds, "Orchid Pavilion Preface" is written after drinking, pursuing oneself; "Sacrifice Nephew Thesis" is sad and indignant, with strong emotions; "Cold Food Post" Is desolate and difficult to achieve.
Someone once compared the "Three Great Books of the World" and said: "Orchid Pavilion Preface" is the style of Yashi Superman, "Sacrifice Nephew Thesis" is the style of Zhi Zhexianda, and "Cold Food Thesis" is the style of a bachelor's talent.
——Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia