Preface for the Orchid Pavilion Poems: Social, Economic, and Cultural Lives of Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties
The unique Chinese system of writing its script in characters has led to extraordinary achievements in the art of calligraphy.The calligrapher of highest regard，worthy of generations of adulation in China，is a man from Eastern Jin times knownas Wang Xizhi.His most famous work is the Preface for the Orchid Pavilion Poems.Wa n g Xizhi is known as the Saint of calligraphy in China，for his ultimate refinement of the art.One day，on an outing with friends，he stopped at the Lanting or Orchid Pavilion for some refreshment and for a little poetry composition.On this occasion he wrote what became the immortal prose known as Preface for the Orchid Pavilion Poems，to commemorate the happy event.The entire prose is slightly over three hundred characters long.It was composed in353.It exists only in such forms as rubbings from carved copies and tracings.
The lines have become part of the necessary education of a Chinese student, and the calligraphed beauty of the characters have become a model for generations of artists and practitioners of calligraphic arts.Although it is said that the original no longer exists，people to this day wonder if it was not buried in the Tang-dynasty tomb of Empress Wu Zetian.It ismore likely that the treasure was long since swept away by the river of time.
In the year 280，as successor to the Cao Wei Kingdom，the Western Jin annihilated the Wu Kingdom.Western Jin (265–316) unified the country but only ruled in stable fashion for some twenty years before internal contradictions led to its downfall.After Western Jin was annihilated in turn，a succession of five different political powers ruled south of the Yangtze River：Eastern Jin（317–420），Song（420–479），Qi（479–502），Liang（502–557），and Chen（557–589）.In the north，meanwhile，some sixteen political powers contended，including the various northern tribes of Xiongnu，Xianbi，Jie，Di，Qiang，and also Han Chinese.The period is known in history as the“Five Hu and Sixteen states（304–439）。”Hu is a term applied to the five non-Han nationalities living in the northern and western part of contemporary China in ancient times.In 439，the state of Bei-Wei or NorthernWei（386–534）unifiedthe north and continued its rule until 534.South of the river，the fragmented powers of Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen faced off against each other in a generally north-south configuration, leading to the term in history known as the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (420–589).In the year 581，the Sui（581–618）replaced a group who had already unified the northern side，known as the Northern Zhou (557–581), and in 589 it defeated the Chen and succeeded in unifying the entire country. The period known as Wei, Jin, and the Northernand Southern Dynasties or Six Dynasties came to an end.
The long period of warfare during the Wei，Jin，and the Northern and Southern Dynasties period and the bitter political infighting led many people to grow disenchanted with the prevailing Confucian philosophy of engagement with the world.T h e y t u r n e d t o w a rd s a m o re re c l u s i v e o r e s c a p i s t posture，a seeking after other-worldly enlightenment，and the rapid spread of Buddhism is evidence of this.All kinds of philosophies，arts，and different ways of thinking came into the space opened up by the turning away from previous dogma，forming a golden era of“thought liberation”not seen since the Warring States Period.Social conditions gradually moved from an era of warfare to an era of peace and stability，and the economy developed as productive forces were restored.South of the river，the swift development of agriculturewas enhanced by changes in agricultural technologyand the region gradually became the center of China’s economy.In the north，the melding and coexistence of various kinds of people was helped by similar changes in agricultural technology and also by the refurbishing of canals and irrigation projects.