The Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion

This scene refers to an event that occurred in 353 during the Spring Purification Festival, an ancient bathing ritual. It was also a day for people to go for an outing by the water, where they would enjoy themselves at a picnic, pluck orchids, and rid themselves of any bad luck. Wang Xizhi, together with 41 other renowned scholar-officials, gathered at Lanting in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province. They engaged in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to empty it and write a poem. Rather than compose the scene in the baimiao, or fine-line, style of painting, which reflects the literati’s approach, the artist painted with strong coloring, thus reflecting the tastes of the court.