Wang Xizhi’s Former Residence Scenic Area

Wang Xizhi was a great calligraphist in East Jin Dynasty. He was born in 303 AD in Shandong Province. He moved to Shaoxing afterwards. He was honored as Sage of Calligraphy by the later generations. His masterpieces include Le Yi Lun and Hang Ting Jing in regular script, Shi Qi Tie in cursive script, Yi Mu Tie, Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie, and Sang Luan Tie in running script, and Lan Ting Xu in running-regular script, etc. Among them, Lan Ting Xu in running-regular script is the most famous.

Wang Xizhi’s Former Residence Scenic Area is 25 km away from downtown Shengzhou, a county-level city under the administration of Shaoxing City, 75 km away from Ningbo City. The public transportation is quite convenient. In 355 A.D., Wang Xizhi resigned from office and lived in seclusion in Shengzhou with his wife and children. After 7 years, he died and was buried there. In recent years, the local government has put plentiful money on rebuilding the structures inside the historical site. Now the scenic area has many attractions, such as Wang Xizhi’s Mausoleum, Jin Ting Taoist Temple, Palace of Calligraphic Sage, Youjun Memorial Temple, Xuexi Academy, Calligraphy & Paintings Gallery, Calligraphy Park, and Huatang Village where Wang Xizhi’s descendants live. 

Wang Xizhi was buried in Waterfall Mountain. The tomb was restored in 1985. It is round. On its right side stands a stele, which was set up in Ming Dynasty. Jin Ting Taoist Temple used to be Wang Xizhi’s residence. It has many ancient buildings such as Tianwang Hall, Da Xiong Bao Hall, Sanqing Hall, and Shu Lou. In Calligraphy & Paintings Gallery and Calligraphy Park, there is a big collection of calligraphic works. You can enjoy the fantastic Chinese calligraphy there. Huatang Village is the main settlement of Wang Xizhi’s descendants. The village came into being in South Song Dynasty. It has well-preserved temples, ancestral halls, folk houses, memorial archways, shops, bridges, and wells, which all feature ancient elegance. The most famous are the Ancestral Hall of Wang Family, Huatang Divine Hall, and Yiqing Hall. The Ancestral Hall of Wang Family was established in Yuan Dynasty with an area of 1800 square meters. Huatang Divine Hall was constructed in late Ming Dynasty.