Lan Pavilion (Orchid Pavilion/Lanting)

Chinese calligraphy, which is handwriting with a Chinese writing brush, is one of China's traditional art forms. Practicing calligraphy, one needs to pay attention to the proper way of holding the brush; the principles of putting down the eight basic strokes, i.e., dot strokes, horizontal strokes, vertical stokes, rising strokes, left-falling strokes, right-falling strokes, hook strokes; and turning strokes; and the overall structure and positioning of the tops and bottoms, the left and the right, and the inner and the outer parts of each character. Calligraphy as an art form has a very long history in China. Many distinguished calligraphers have emerged in the history of Chinese calligraphy, each with the artist’s distinctive style, usually a reflection of individual temperament and character.

Wang Xizhi is one of the renowned calligraphers in history. His handwriting, known as the "style of Wang" brings to mind the image of floating clouds in the sky, or a flying dragon on a rampage through space. At the age of seven, Wang began to learn calligraphy under the guidance of a female calligrapher, Madame Wei. He was soon so deeply involved that he would often ponder the structure of a word and how to manipulate the brush while walking. He would execute the various strokes on his body, until finally his clothes were worn through from incessant practice. Every time Wang finished writing, he would wash the brush and ink slab in the pond in front of his house; gradually, the clear water turned to ink-black. Through years of diligent and unremitting practice, Wang became the most outstanding calligrapher in the history of China. He and his youngest son Wang Xianzhi were known as "the two Wangs.”
    
Today, at Lan Pavilion on the west of Shaoxing, on the side of Goose Pond there is a stone tablet. There is an inscription of two Chinese characters, the equivalent of the English term "goose pond.” The first word is said to have been written by Wang Xizhi and the second by his youngest son, Wang Xianzhi.

Yue Opera is the second most popular opera in China, only after Peking Opera. Yue Opera, Shaoju Opera, Xinchang Tiaoqiang and Shaoxing Lianhualao are prevailing local art performances in the city. If you’re planning to visit Shaoxing, watching the famous plays of the Yue Opera is a must-do activity. Here you can find a brief introduction and stage photos to help you better understand Yue Opera.

“A Dream in Red Mansions”, also known as “The Story of the Stones”, is one of the four classical masterpieces in Chinese history. The Yue Opera of “The Story of the Stones” was a revision of the original novel by Cao Xueqin. This Yue Opera play was first performed in the Shanghai Yue Opera Theatre in 1957, and comprised 12 chapters in total. The famous Yue Opera artists Xu Yulan and Wang Wenjuan vividly played Bao Yu (Hero) and Dai Yu (Heroine), thus making ”The Story of the Stones” a classical play of Yue Opera.

In the early 1940s, the famous Yue Opera artists, Yuan Xuefen, Fan Ruijuan, Ma Zhanghua, played “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai”, telling the tragic love story between these two people. Zhu was a girl who pretended to be a boy in order to be educated. While studying in Hangzhou, Zhu met Liang and they soon became like brothers. They spent three years studying together until Zhu’s father asked Zhu to come back home to marry Ma. Before leaving, Zhu dropped some hints to Liang expressing her love for him. However, Liang insisted that Zhu was his brother and saw Zhu off. Later on, Liang died in sorrow when he realized Zhu was a girl and they both loved each other. On her wedding day, Zhu rushed to Liang’s grave and cried. A miracle happened when the grave opened up and at the same time Liang and Zhu became two butterflies flying happily towards the sky.