Looking for scenic spots in Langya, washing the fragrance of ink in the inkstone pool——Short notes on a visit to Wang Xizhi’s former residence

On the day I went to Wang Xizhi’s former residence, the sky was clear and the clouds were clear, and the autumn air was crisp. During the epidemic, you first show your health code, then make an appointment online, scan the code to pay, and go through the process to get a paper ticket. This is the only physical contact.

As soon as you enter the door, you will see a pool of autumn water. This must be an inkstone washing pool. Not far from the left side of the pool, you will see the stone tablet "washing inkstone pool". The pool is not small. There is an inkstone stele pavilion and Jin Mozhai in the north of the pool. The word "Jin" is written in a very complicated way. I guessed it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. I went in and took a look. , an old man was on duty indoors. Seeing our unintelligible manners, he spat out a word without raising his eyes: "Jin." He was so concise that he cherished the words like gold, and his tone was a little disdainful.

We came out chattering, feeling ashamed of our shallow knowledge and feeling that the other party was too arrogant. I have used simplified characters too much, and I am unfamiliar with traditional Chinese. Moreover, I still don’t know how to calligraphy, so it is understandable that I can’t recognize everyone’s handwriting. Thinking about it on the other hand, there must be many tourists who don't know him. This gentleman sitting alone in his study probably has few close friends. His indifference is actually more of a lonely person.

Walking north along the corridor of inscriptions, the inscriptions on the left are winding, and on the right is a winding area of ??living water. We guessed it to be the "Liu Shang Qishui". We, the two of us, studied Chinese. While looking at stone calligraphy, we taught Mr. Zhang, a man from science and engineering, about the "Preface to the Lanting Anthology" and explained what "flowing drinking water" is by pointing to the flowing water. We were talking with joy when we unexpectedly came face to face with a stone tablet with four characters written on it: "Liu Shang Qushui". It turned out that in front of us was the real "Liu Shang Qushui". The ring-shaped stone canal has jagged teeth, just right for people to sit and lie down. The water flows in the canal. I imagine that more than 1,700 years ago, the sky was clear and the wind was gentle, and the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji, where all the virtuous people were here, and the young and old were salty. Gathering, observing the universe from a distance, observing all kinds of things, reciting poems and composing poems, talking about mysteries and reasoning, it is really a romantic and elegant gathering, wonderful and wonderful. What I saw just now is the water flowing out of the "Liu Shang Qushui". They circle around in the circular water channel (Qushui) and then merge into the "Inkstone Washing Pond" to the south.

"There is a certain order of learning, and there is a specialization in the art." Just now I was complaining about others' contempt, but I didn't know that I was nothing more than that. "He who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is wise." "He who empties himself is the foundation of virtue." Trust me!

When visiting the former residences of celebrities, of course you go there for the celebrities. However, as vulgar as we are, we still miss the scenery more than appreciate the humanities and scenery. Besides, due to limited academic background, the curiosity for novelty prevails, and the motivation to learn with an open mind is insufficient. Looking at the calligraphy of famous people, my eyes are full of elegance, and it is gone with the wind. Even the most famous stone carving of Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" was briefly seen. The stonemason who carved the stele was so meticulous that he even painted the original manuscript, but we didn't even leave a photo, so we couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

When I used to travel, I liked taking photos. I even developed the photos and compiled them into albums. Nowadays, digital photography makes it easier to take pictures, so I am not obsessed with taking pictures anymore. Rare things are valuable, and rare things are worth cherishing. As a result, today, when wishes are easy to come true, many things have been forgotten by us. I remember when my daughter was a child, she would dress up beautifully every year for her birthday and go to the Innocence Photo Studio across the street to take family photos. Later, I bought a digital camera and saved the photos in my computer. The album stopped at my daughter's teenage years. I flipped through the album, one by one, watching my daughter grow up year by year. When I turned to the end, I felt lost. Although the massive photos in the computer were more beautiful and clearer, the footprints of my daughter's growth were numerous and messy. Without the chain of time, everything was blurred.

Wang Xizhi’s former residence was built on the original site by the Linyi Municipal Government in the 1990s. After thousands of years of vicissitudes, there should be very few remains of Langya celebrities, but there are always some things that remain constant, such as the "Preface to the Lanting Collection". Although this astonishing masterpiece is said to have been brought to Zhaoling by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, there are countless copies in the world, and there are many copies of famous works. Its beauty has the characteristics of traveling through time and space, and so does its thought.

Visiting Wang Xizhi’s former residence also yielded unexpected rewards. After the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty and the migration of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the south, Wang Xizhi donated his former residence as a temple. After generations of evolution, the current Puzhao Temple exists. Later, the ruins were excavated and two ancient tombs under Puzhao Temple were discovered. On this basis, the "Jin Tomb Museum" was built. I have always had a taboo on traveling and tried to stay away from tombs for fear of disturbing the clear dreams of the predecessors. So I was still nervous walking down the steps.

The two tombs are thirty meters apart. Tomb No. 1 is a couple buried together, while Tomb No. 2 is composed of two adjacent tombs. One tomb contains a five or six-year-old girl, and the other tomb contains two children. There are two boys. According to research, one is under one year old and the other is under two years old. Although after returning to the hotel, I saw the research results of relevant experts and believed that it reflected the ancient custom of ghost marriage. I'm still reeling from the initial shock. A large number of exquisite burial objects were unearthed from the tombs of young children, including jewelry, toys and daily necessities. I think back then, the joy and hope brought by new life were fleeting. Even if it spans thousands of years, I can still imagine the sorrow and longing they bear when they meet their parents.

Coming out of the underground tomb is the square in front of Puzhao Temple. The sun embraces us, and there are tourists in twos and threes. It is quiet and leisurely. We stamp our feet, pat our clothes, and shake off two thousand years of time.

In the "Preface to the Lanting Collection", Wang Xizhi lamented: "Death and rebirth are an illusion, and the death of Qi and Peng is a vain creation." The beauty and brevity of life have always been the reasons for the praise and lamentation of literati.

The feeling of sadness and loss, like mourning a broken string, has touched many sensitive and passionate people.

If research is done, the inkstone washing pool and the book-drying table should be Wang Xizhi’s relics in Langya, and Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy practice can also be found in the Echi. As for the "Liu Shang Qushui", it happened after the Eastern Jin Dynasty moved south. As a right-wing general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, after escaping to the south of the Yangtze River, in the ninth year of Yonghe, at the age of Guichou, he summoned a group of dignitaries from the Eastern Jin Dynasty to gather at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji. Faced with the brutal and tragic situation of the Five Husbands in the north, he was unable to carry out the Northern Expedition. We can only hide in the gentle and bright scenery of Jiangnan to rejoice or lament. How is this happiness or misfortune?

In harmony with the great sorrow and joy of the times, and with the bitterness and fine wine of life, Wang Xizhi wrote a preface to "Lanting Collection" with a splash of ink. The text is conveyed by emotion, the words are preserved by text, and the articles and calligraphy complement each other. It has become a unique legend in the history of Chinese culture.

There is a Temple of the Five Sages in the former residence of Wang Xizhi, which commemorates the brothers Wang Xiang and Wang Lan who were famous for their filial piety, as well as Yan Gaoqing, Yan Zhenqing and Zhuge Liang who served the country loyally. When Qianlong passed by Linyi on his southern tour, he was impressed by the achievements of the five sages and wrote a poem: "The filial piety can be done to Wang Xianglan, the loyal Yan Gaozhen has sacrificed his life; the origins of the encounters are different, and it can be concluded that Zhuge is the whole person." Now, Qianlong The emperor's poem was re-carved into a stone tablet and stood in front of the Temple of the Five Sages.

"There are scenic spots in the country, and we will come here again." If I have the opportunity to visit scenic spots and historical sites, and have close contact with the remains of the sages and celebrities, I want to see the "reason for the excitement" in the first place, it is really "if one unites" Deed". It seems that time has changed, but people's hearts are connected. "The future looks at the present as the present looks at the past." This cannot help but make people sigh.

"People change, and exchanges become ancient and modern." Short life, different stories, eternal exploration and pursuit, similar successes and failures, joys and sorrows. This time I came to Linyi, firstly, I took advantage of the weekend leisure time to get together with my daughter, and secondly, I also wanted to relieve my daughter’s stress. Graduating from college next year, further education and employment are all obstacles. All the motivational chicken soup can’t relieve real stress. I believe that my daughter, who has read a lot of poetry and books, will be able to absorb the wisdom of life from the ancient sages and sages, solve the confusion in her thoughts, and experience the success and beauty of life.

The world is big, the three of us are small, life is magnificent, and we are just a wave in it. Efforts, joys and sorrows, success or setbacks are all normal parts of life.

What we do is to make our days interesting, make our efforts valuable, and live up to God and ourselves. When we read the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" again, let's have an in-depth discussion about the meaning of life with Wang Youjun!