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A ceremony is held to commemorate Wang Xizhi, the most prominent figure in the history of Chinese calligraphy, in Shaoxing on April 14. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 37th China Orchid Pavilion International Calligraphy Festival opened in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province on April 14. About 300 calligraphy artists and lovers participated in the opening ceremony.

The event is held each year on the third day of the third lunar month, attracting calligraphy lovers from home and abroad. Its name comes from a gathering of 42 calligraphers at Shaoxing's Orchid Pavilion, or Lanting Pavilion, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420).

Young calligraphy lovers in traditional clothing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The gathering was where Wang Xizhi, the most prominent figure in the history of Chinese calligraphy, created Lanting Xu (Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion) and made the pavilion a sacred place for calligraphy lovers.

Winners of the seventh Lanting Pavilion awards were honored at the ceremony and calligraphy artists started this year's activities by composing a preface. A forum was held at the Lanting Pavilion Calligraphy Museum, attracting experts from Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Hangzhou's Xiling Society of Seal Arts.

The festival is celebrated in a manner of like what calligraphers would do in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

This year's activities, which will last until November, are organized by the government of Shaoxing to upgrade the festival from a culture brand to a city brand, as well as to develop its tourism and culture industries.