Along the River During the Qingming Festival

Along the River During the Qingming Festival

Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a masterpiece of classical painting in China, renowned for its realistic style. Painted by Zhang Zeduan, a court painter of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), it vividly captures the bustle of daily life in the capital during the Xuanhe period (1119-1125) of the Northern Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty (960-1279) represented a pinnacle of Chinese art and culture, producing numerous talented thinkers, poets, and painters. Its capital, Bianjing (now Kaifeng city in Henan Province), was the largest and wealthiest city in the world at that time, with a population of over one million. The 528-centimeter-long painting captures the urban landscape and ways of life during the heyday of the Northern Song Dynasty in the 12th century. It has been passed on from generation to generation.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival centers around the Bian River, and features the countryside, the surroundings of a water and land transportation hub, and the mar- ket in the city center. Presented as a long scroll, the painting employs parallel projection, allowing for the depiction of over 500 people from all walks of life, including nobles, officials, servants, vendors, sedan bearers, laborers, storytellers, barbers, doctors, women, monks, children, beggars, and more. The painting’s meticulous portrayal of daily life in the market, including animals, buildings, city walls, bridges, boats, vehicles, and sedan chairs, is unparalleled in its detail. The complexity is balanced with a concise and orderly composition, revealing a rich artistic charm that is unmatched in the history of Chinese and world painting.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival serves as a comprehensive encyclopedia of the social life of the Northern Song dynasty. It is of immense historical and artistic significance. Lewis Mumford, a renowned American historian who specialized in the study of cities, regarded the painting as an ideal model of the future city due to its vibrancy, variety, and focus on culture and people.

《清明上河图》

《清明上河图》是中国古典现实主义绘画的杰作，由北宋宫廷画家张择端作画，描绘了北宋宣和年间（1119—1125）都城的繁华景象。宋朝是中国艺术文化的高峰时期， 思想家、诗人、画家人才辈出。北宋都城汴京（今河南省开封市）是当时世界上最大、最富裕的都城，人口100多万。

《清明上河图》就把12世纪北宋全盛时期的城市面貌和人民生活状况浓缩在一幅528厘米长的画作中，流传至今。《清明上河图》以汴河为构图中心，分三个部分展示了市郊景色、水陆交通枢纽周边和市区街市的景象。作者以长卷形式，采用“散点透视法”组织画面，如实且精细地描绘了绅士、官吏、仆役、贩夫、车轿夫、作坊工人、说书艺人、理发匠、医生、妇女、僧人、儿童、乞丐等各类人物500余人，家畜、房屋、城楼、桥梁、船只、车辆、轿子等日常街市生活元素各有特色，画卷中各类人物、景物、货物细节井然有序，画面长而不冗、繁而不乱，严密紧凑又富有情趣。这在中国乃至世界绘画史上都是独一无二的。

《清明上河图》是一部北宋社会生活的百科全书，具有重要的历史文献价值和艺术价值。美国著名城市史学家刘易斯·芒福德因其景观生动多样化、人物属性各异而充满生机，将《清明上河图》作为未来城市理想的说明图。