清明上河圖 Qīngmíng shànghé tú
Along The River during the Qing Ming Festival is a classical panoramic Chinese painting by imperial artist Zhang Zeduan (1085 - 1145). It depicts a daily street life along the Bian River in Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. Today, Bianjing is known as Kaifeng City in Henan.
Zhang Zeduan (張擇端, 1085-1145)
The theme of this painting is often said to celebrate the festive spirit and a prosperous street scene during the Qing Ming Festival, rather than the holiday's ceremonial aspects such as tomb sweeping and prayers.
This is the highlight of visiting the China Art Museum. I was in total awe when I entered the main entrance to the virtual painting hall. I just wanted to sit on the ground and watch the painting quietly. The detail of people and animals are amazing. I watched the camels walk through the gateway again and again. I observed the people in the restaurants and the people working outside their shops. I imagined myself standing on the bridge, watching the people and boats.
This painting is pure wonder and joy for me!
Thank you Zhang Zeduan and the modern virtual technology.
History of the Painting
Along The River during the Qing Ming Festival has changed hands hundreds of times. It had entered royal palaces 5 times and stolen a few times!
Legend has it that the first collector was the royal court of Song Dynasty. Then the royal palace of Yuan Dynasty took over. Thereafter, Ming Dynasty took over but it was stolen under the reign of Emperor Muzong. The painting found its way back to the palace in the Qing Dynasty. When the Qing Dynasty died, the last Emperor Puyi took the painting away with him.
In 1945, this national treasure was returned to the Chinese government and has been exhibited in several museums now.
The Virtual Painting
An innovative way to exhibit a masterpiece, Along The River during the Qing Ming Festival. The street is presented on a hill-shaped screen by means of virtual technology. This virtual painting is 128 meters long (420 feet) and 6.5 meters high (21 feet); 30 times larger than the original. The day scenes and night scenes are played at an interval of 4 minutes.
Below the painting, a rippling river (Bian River) was built in the museum to supplement the painting and highlights the riverside scene. This virtual painting works its audio and lighting effects with 12 cinema projectors and 8 smart points. In the day scene, there are 691 figures and 377 in the night scene. This painting creates a vivid experience between now and the past thousand years ago.
A detailed explanation on how the painting was painted and the meaning of each object in the painting
Let's go people! Let's experience 12th century life in China.
Along The River during the Qing Ming Festival has always been one of the majestic treasures in the Chinese art history. It is a genre that depicted the townscape of Kaifeng City (Bianjing), the capital of Northern Song Dynasty.
The usage of a long scroll format and fine brushwork techniques captured the complete scene of late Northern Song Dynasty, including fields in the outskirts, carriages on the streets, boats under the bridges, stores and residences, and the people of all levels of society.
The painting is divided into 3 major sections :
Right section - the rural area of the city where they were crop fields and rural folk.
Middle section - businesses downtown extended to the Rainbow Bridge. Where the bridge crosses the river is the main focus of the painting.
Left section - the urban area around the city gate where goods are transported by different kinds of modes.
Zhang Zeduan, the artist, depicted about 1000 people, about 80 animals (donkeys, horses, mules, cows, camels, and pigs), about 20 boats and ships and carriages. He painted lifestyles of every level in the Chinese society, from the poor to the rich, in the city and rural areas.
The Qing Ming Festival in this painting is all about celebrating a festive spirit. Scholars argued that this might neither be a festival or a place, it most probably means the bright and pure social and political atmosphere. This painting is a eulogy of the reign of Emperor Huizong (1082 - 1135) of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The highlight of this painting is the Rainbow Bridge crossing the Bian River during the Qing Ming Festival. Qing Ming means 'clear bright'. In the original Chinese title, "Shang He" (along the river) is a pun meaning that boats are going upstream during the Qing Ming Festival and that the river is a royal river. People today usually understand Qing Ming festival as day of sweeping tombs of their ancestors. Another interpretation is that Qing Ming can mean 'peaceful and orderly';
hence the scroll's title: Peace Reigns Over The River.
The Original Scroll
The original handscroll is about 5.25 m long and 25.5 cm in height. The painting had about 814 humans, 60 animals, 28 boats, 170 trees, 20 vehicles, 30 buildings and 9 sedan chairs. There were 2 major sections: right section was the rural area and left section was the urban area around the city gate.
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