兰亭集序

In the spring of 353 王羲之 and about forty friends met at the Orchid Pavilion (兰亭) near Kuaiji, now 绍兴, for the spring purification rite. They floated cups of wine down a winding stream, and a guest the cup stopped in front of had to write a poem. His preface moves from the beauty of the place, with its 崇山峻岭 'high mountains and steep ridges', to sorrow at how short life is.

The calligraphy of the same text is usually called by the short title 兰亭序.