The Former Residence of Wang Duo

The Former Residence of Wang Duo

Name:The Former Residence of Wang Duo Class:AAA Area:Luoyang Tel:Tel:0086-371-65907709 0086-400-666-0166 Email：henantour@gmail.com Skype：karenzheng2004 The scenic spot of the Former Residence of Wang Duo, who was a famous ancient calligrapher known as “the magic brush” of Luoyang, is a national AAA level scenic spot and a provincial key historical reserve. 23 kilometers away from the center of Luoyang, four kilometers away from the entry of the National Highway 207, it is conveniently approachable by highways. It lies 2 kilometers to the east of the Han Emperor Guangwu Mausoleum, 1.5 kilometers to the south of the Longmafutu Temple, and 10 kilometers to the west of the huge lotus garden. The Residence, together with the White Horse Temple and the above-mentioned three spots, forms a tourism belt. As a well-known calligrapher of the period between the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing Dynasties, Wang Duo was extremely versed in handwriting and painting that he created a unique style of his own. He was promoted to the Minister of the Board of Rites and Ceremonies and later designated as the teacher of a prince in the Qing Dynasty. Located at the old town of the Mengjin County seat, the scenic spot was made up of a residence of 2,646 square meters and a backyard garden of more than 5 hectares. His residence was also called Taibao Fu (Mansion of the Prince’s Teacher), named after his official title. The stone inscription of Wang's representative work, a key historical reserve of the Henan Province, was well-preserved here. With a gate on the street of the old town facing south, Wang Duo’s residential building is a compound of connecting courtyards, each surrounded by dwelling quarters. The whole building of eight rows is soaked with the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the first row stands a hall facing the street, which is five-room wide and three-room long. In the center of the yard is the second gate with lions on both sides. A selection of Wang Duo’s works was compiled by Wang Wujiu, his son, in 1652 after his father’s death. Zhang Jinyan and Gong Dingnie wrote the postscripts while Zhang Feiqing carved those manuscripts on the stone wall. The carving project lasted for nine years. In addition, the Langhuaguan and the Guilongguan Manuscripts by Wang Duo were also splendid, initiating a new style in the field of calligraphy in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Being prominent in Chinese history of calligraphy, they had much influence internationally as well, much admired by Japanese people. The residential building consists of five courtyards. Each courtyard is made up of the front hall, the living room, the central hall, the back hall and the rear room, with wing rooms on the east and the west. Each courtyard was constructed with grey bricks and tiles, with stone-made base, pedestal. All the fastigiums were decorated with carved animals, and the lattices of the windows were meticulously carved. And the walls were covered with tile-carved patterns. These courtyards, imbued with an old fashioned and antique flavor, fully embody the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and especially the imposing, magnificent and solemn cultural atmosphere of the mansion constructions in that period. In order to fully exhibit the style and features of Wang's calligraphy, the administrative staff of the scenic spot has classified Wang's works into different categories and displayed them in separate rooms of regular scripts, official scripts, running-hand, grass-characters, poets and paintings based on different themes. The works shown are in various forms including manuscript, stone inscriptions, wood carvings and rubbings, throwing light on Wang’s artistic thought and practice directly and vividly, which enables visitors to appreciate the vigor, subtlety and charm of his calligraphies and paintings. Wang Duo was a versatile talent of great achievements in many fields including poetry, calligraphy and painting, among which calligraphy was the most superior. He was capable of manipulating all the styles of calligraphy, especially the grass-script, in which he incorporated the style of calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty represented by Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi and absorbed the merits of the works of Huang Tingjian and Mi Fu, celebrated calligraphers of the Song Dynasty. As to the style of grass-script, Wang Duo successfully created a unique style of his own, which greatly promoted the development of this style and influenced Chinese calligraphy for over four centuries. Well-structured and flexible with strength laid on the central strokes, his grass-script works were majestic and vigorous. He was so good at manipulating the ink in writing that he initiated the method of “Zhangmo”, literally, using of superfluous ink on special calligraphy paper to be more impressive. The layouts of his works are also strange in the allocation of space. He was fastidious about factors such as the force in moving the brush, the speed of writing, the spacing of lines and other factors that could influence the perfection of the manuscripts. His works, as a symbol of the aesthetic characteristics of simplicity, elegance and vigor, were imbued with surging power. Therefore, his calligraphy was reputed as the “magic brush” by people, home and abroad. Stepping into Wang Duo’s backyard Zaizhi Garden, visitors will find themselves greeted by a performance titled “Fairies Presenting Tea”, played by dozens of actresses in colored fairy attires, walking with a springy step to a light tune. Visitors may well sit at the stone tables in the garden, appreciating the “glossy ganoderma (a rare Chinese medicine herb)” and the “celestial peaches” over the “celestial tea” offered by the “fairies”. Besides, they may well travel along a path with thick bamboos on both sides and arrive at a mirror-like pond to watch the show titled “Aquatic Musical Dance” handed down from the Ming Dynasty. If interested, visitors may choose to fish by the waterside or boat on the water. The Residence of Wang Duo is indeed a choice place for tour, vacation, fishing, and boating. Here, visitors can appreciate architectures of the Ming and Qing styles as well as Wang’s paintings and calligraphies besides enjoying the natural beauty. The Residence, with its unique bearing and profound cultural connotations, has been attracting an increasing number of visitors from all over the world. Highlights: Wang Duo Greeting the Guest – a large-scale show of the style of the Ming Dynasty (reservation required in the week-long prime holiday and other holidays for group visitors) Ticket: RMB 30 yuan Add: the Laocheng Village, Huimeng Township, Luoyang City Traffic: Take bus No. 85 and get off at the terminal station ( Huimeng Town, Mengjin County), or take the coach from Luoyang to Kouma, which will arrive at Wang Duo’s former residence directly Tel: 0379-63938134 Henan Feng International Travel Agency: 0371-65963326