Assignment No. 1: Copying the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion One Thousand Times 1995 Directed by Qiu Zhijie 作业一号:重复书写一千遍兰亭序

Qiu Zhijie spent five years copying Wang Xizhi’s (303–361) Lantingxu (‘Preface to the Orchid Pavilion’) one thousand times. The video shows the artist writing calligraphy with an ink brush. As the black ink fills the paper, the strokes lose their distinctiveness, and the text becomes illegible. Eventually, only a black rectangular field remains.

Country China
Production Country China
Language Mandarin
Spoken Language No Language
Gnere Documentary
Release Date 1 January 1995
35 mins
Crew
Director