Winner of "Outstanding Achievement in Production" at the 2013 Hong Kong Dance Awards

Where Calligraphy Flows into Dance

Calligraphy takes up an important position in Chinese culture. In the canon of calligraphic arts, Preface to The Orchid Pavilion and Eulogy for a Nephew are, without dispute, the most highly regarded works. As China's two best works in running script, their artistic value is universally admired, and their authors, Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing, are the most respected masters. But what were the stories behind their creation? How did these works come into being?

Set against the cultural background that produced these works, Spring Ritual.Eulogy explores the intricate relationship between the abstract beauty of calligraphy and literati ideals through an interplay of classical dance and Chinese music.

Established in 1981 with the aim of promoting Chinese dance, the Hong Kong Dance Company has staged over 100 productions, many of which were highly popular with critical acclaim. The Company has toured internationally as well as in Mainland China as a way to encourage cultural exchange. The tour performances were well received by the public with rave reviews.

Approx 1 hour 20 minutes (including a 15-minute interval)
With Chinese & English scene synopses

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Preface to The Orchid Pavilion

Wang Xizhi (AD 303 – 361) is honoured as the patron saint of Chinese calligraphy. He was a member of an influential family of the Eastern Jin dynasty. It was in the spring of AD 353 that Wang had a gathering with 40 friends and relatives in the countryside to celebrate a traditional spring "cleansing festival". Poems were composed and wine was consumed. Wang, feeling relaxed and tipsy, wrote a preface to the collection of literary works called Preface to The Orchid Pavilion describing the happy occasion. The spontaneous piece was full of amendments as a draft essay but his mastery of the art of Chinese calligraphy was fully demonstrated. For example, the character "zhi" appeared 20 times in the same work but none of them looked identical.

Eulogy for a Nephew

During the Tang dynasty, the rebel An Lushan led an uprising in Hebei province in AD 755. Out of 24 counties, only Yan Gaoqing and his son Yan Guiming, who was the nephew of the great master of calligraphy Yan Zhenqing, managed to uphold the defence at the Changshan county. In AD 756, rebels attacked the Changshan county, held Yan Guiming hostage and, when Guiming's father refused to surrender, the son was killed. Yan Gaoqing was later captured. He kept reprimanding the rebel until his tongue was torn out before his execution. 30 members of his family were also slaughtered. In AD 758, Yan Zhenqing recovered his beheaded nephew's skull and wrote the painful Eulogy for a Nephew to express his deep sorrow. The original work is now in the collection of the National Palace Museum. It is a work whose significance is beyond calligraphic skills.


Written by Gerald C C Tsang

Co-presenters